Kia ora e hoa mā,

What an amazing week we just had, with Te Matatini showcasing te ao Māori in Ngāmotu. From the back story about a former rugby club being turned māra kai to feed kaihaka, the two tonnes of taewa (potato) from Parihaka and Taranaki iwi and other kai, daily coverage in Te Karere, to the heartfelt interviews in ‘opening a window into te ao Māori’, it was humbling and thrilling.

At the desk, our group stayed focussed in February, completing three submissions to state our views and rationale on important subjects: the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill, the draft Minerals Programme for Petroleum and Modernising Conservation Land Management. We also sent out a press release titled Carbon capture yet another ‘trojan horse’.

Events

Community Energy Taranaki – Electrify your Whare, 5 March

This will be Community Energy Taranaki (CET)’s first public event. Mike Casey – CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa will be the guest speaker followed by Q&A and discussions. The event will kick off a series of mini projects with local experts and peers to facilitate uptake of simple, affordable ways to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission.

Come along to the Taranaki Cathedral Peace Lounge on Wed 5^th March 6:30-8:00pm. There will be shared finger food from 6pm for a 6:30 start. Gold coin donation for hall hire much appreciated. All are welcome.   

SEAWEEK Eco dialogues Part 1: Celebrating Taranaki’s Marine Biodiversity, 5 March

This is a joint event between Wild for Taranaki and Puke Ariki. There will be six talks focussing on: Pygmy Blue Whale, Rimurimu (Kelp), Kororā (Little penguin), Sea spurge, Snapper and Tūturiwhatu (NZ Dotterel). This is “the first of a four part series of dynamic conversations exploring the beauty, risks and opportunities surrounding Taranaki’s unique biodiversity” and an opportunity to discover how you can support their mahi for a thriving moana.

Venue: Puke Ariki on 5 March, 6-7:30pm.  Details here.

Palestine Solidarity Taranaki, Fridays

Flags on Bridge the first Friday of the month, hence 7 March 4:30pm on the Paynters Avenue Bridge. All other Fridays at New Plymouth District Council. Palestine Solidarity Taranaki is also participating in the Multi Ethnic Extravaganza on Sat 8 March. Meet 10am behind the clock tower. Wear Palestine solidarity T shirts and/or Keffiyeh (no signs and no chanting). More details are on Palestinian Solidarity Taranaki page

Submissions

New ways to power electricity consumers, open till 26 March

The Electricity Authority is proposing new rules which could give people more control over their power use and costs, and potentially incentivise prosumers to supply electricity at peak times. This consultation may be an opportunity for us to say ‘yes’ in support, plus giving constructive recommendations. Have a read of the two consultation papers “Requiring distributors to pay a rebate when consumers supply electricity at peak times” and “Improving pricing plan options for consumers…” The consultation is open till 5pm on Wed 26 March. Details here.

News

Drought conditions declared across Taranaki

Taranaki is officially in drought. The agriculture minister has classified it as “a medium-scale adverse” event. “Desperate” farmers had described it as “the driest in more than 50 years”. Taranaki Federated Farmers acknowledged the “huge psychological toll of the brown paddock…”  Farmers and growers who require support are encouraged to contact their local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.

This is another wakeup call that industrial farming of monoculture species, notably growing grass for dairy cows, is utterly unsustainable and vulnerable to extreme weather and climate breakdown. Diversifying our agriculture to focus on local food production for local communities alongside ecosystem restoration, bringing back wetlands, forests and indigenous biodiversity, will go a long way to building farmers and community resilience and wellbeing. Watch Hua Parakore to explore the diverse ways in which food and soil sovereignty is being realised in Aotearoa by Māori growers and communities around the motu.

Oil and gas lobbyist appointed to EECA

The head of fossil fuel lobby group Energy Resources Aotearoa John Carnegie has been appointed to the board of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Now Carnegie has been reported to have openly criticised EECA’s role in giving out decarbonisation grants. Notably the EECA board already has a fossil fuel representative, Andrew Knight who is the chief executive of the Gas Industry Co and former chief executive of NZ Oil & Gas. Such apparent conflicts of interest are extremely concerning.

Restore Passenger Rail protesters in court

The first of up to six climate trials arising from Restore Passenger Rail’s actions in and around Pōneke Wellington in 2022-23 has begun in Wellington District Court for four members of the group charged with endangering transport during their actions. The defendants’ lawyer asked the jury to consider whether the protest action was, as the prosecution argued, “patently unreasonable in the circumstances”. The latter included “the dire warnings from the United Nations and the UK government that suggested the world could become unliveable due to climate change, and that humanity was at risk”. Climate change experts Professors James Renwick and Kevin Anderson will be presenting to the jury about the climate crisis and its implications.

To read more about the protestors and show your support here.

SLAPP and anti-SLAPP

With the current political environment and a pro-mining government, there is a real concern of more civil litigations with the intent of silencing those who have spoken out on matters of public interest: the SLAPP – Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. “The typical SLAPP will involve the retaliatory use of litigation by powerful individuals or corporations against weaker opponents with the intent of stemming the source of negative publicity. Commonly, SLAPPS will target journalists, environmentalists, and academics.”  The EU has adopted an anti-SLAPP Directive which imposes minimum standards towards protecting public interest speech. It is time for NZ to begin considering the formation of a domestic anti-SLAPP regime.

Here’s our karakia whakamutunga:

Mongamonga noa iho te Hiriwa me te Koura

I te kurukurutanga o tāku raukura

E hai

Nā,

The team at Climate Justice Taranaki