Kia ora, welcome.

2025 has been a sobering year for us here at CJT. We witnessed climate breakdown across the globe and the NZ government’s sweeping law and policy changes to embolden neoliberal ideology and bulldoze the already weak environmental, climate and social protection. Throughout the year, we challenged these by writing submissions and speaking to Parliamentary Select Committees. The year began with the most controversial Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill [aka Regulatory Capture Bill]. February saw the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill; the draft Minerals Programme for Petroleum; and the so-called Modernising Conservation Land Management Bill.

We submitted that these bills are neoliberal, enabling legalised theft and elevating profit ahead of public good and the natural world on which we all ultimately depend. Rather than reigniting the drive for fossil fuel mining and pushing ahead for industrial-scaled offshore wind energy, we called for solutions that truly focus on energy decarbonisation, resilience, democracy and equity, as laid out in Toitū Taranaki 2030. Our other submissions through the year also emphasised fairness and encouraged readiness and adaptation for a changing climate; insisting that fairness must now be at the base of all government policy.

To draw attention to the role of fossil fuel companies and some banks in fuelling catastrophic climate change, we protested against oil companies like OMV, Todd and Beach Energy. We also picketed ANZ New Plymouth as they vacillated on funding a new coalmine at Denniston. On many Fridays, we joined Palestine Solidarity Taranaki, to picket BP for supplying the genocide in Gaza – a clear demonstration of climate and social injustice.

There have been other actions in campaigns, often in collaboration with other organisations including Greenpeace, 350, KASM (Kiwis Against Seabed Mining) and Community Against Fast Track (CAFT). At the time of writing, OceanaGold’s Waihi North (Coromandel) mining application has received a draft ‘go-ahead’ with conditions under the Fast Track Approvals Act. The latter has just been amended, allowing more ministerial interference, notably via new Government Policy Statements which would define the kind of projects deemed to have regional or national benefits. The amendments incorporated retrospective clauses.  We will seek legal analyses about their implications.

CJT is especially honoured to be part of the Waitangi Tribunal Climate Change Priority Inquiry (Wai 3325). Since Tuhi-Ao Bailey’s presentation to the Tribunal last year, supported by tangata whenua and CJT members, our expert witnesses Prof. Abigail Smith, Dr. Steve Goldthorpe and Prof Ilan Noy have spoken at the October 2025 Inquiry hearing. We thank our legal counsel Tom Bennion and other claimants and experts for their eloquent submissions.

Our participation in the Fast Track Expert Panel hearing on Trans-Tasman Resources Limited’s (TTRL) seabed mining application in October was a humbling one. Like many others of like-mind, CJT has nothing to gain financially from this project. We were there purely in defence of our life-supporting whenua and moana, for present and future generations. We are not going away, no matter how adamant this government is in ignoring the people, the science and its moral obligations.

As part of community outreach, a new feature of our climate justice campaigning in 2025 has seen CJT members training in and then offering Climate Fresk workshops, thanks to funding from Toi Foundation. To date, 8 workshops have been organised, including three in November, when the UN Climate Conference (COP30) took place in Belém. Our Fresk participants’ feedback have been very positive, including comments like “inspirational”, “motivating” and “empowering”. Also last month, we held a public meeting in the coastal village of Ōkato where climate change realities, low tech food production, silvopasture grazing, regen agriculture and energy sustainability were discussed. We hope to run more community events next year as we need to build relationships, trust and skills so everyone can be onboard come next election.

As this year draws to a close, we want to thank you all for supporting CJT and for doing your part in protecting te taiao, speaking truth to power and making the world a better place.  We wish you all a peaceful and joyful festive season. Rest well and recuperate for what lies ahead in 2026! 

Unuhia, unuhia

Unuhia ki te uru tapu nui

Kia wātea, kia māmā

Te ngākau, te tinana

Te wairua i te ara takatū

Koia rā e Rongo

Whakairia ake ki runga

Kia tina! Tina!

Hui e! Tāiki e!

Nā,

Team at Climate Justice Taranaki