Ngā mihi o te tau hou, greetings for the new year (although it’s already February!)

We hope that you have been able to spend time over the holiday season being nourished by the people and places that you love, connecting with whānau and taiao.

Following our strategy hui, here is a quick preview of our priorities and mahi for 2026:

Election 2026: Voting for Climate, Voting for Justice

Our plan:

• Visibility in the community that this year’s election needs to be a vote for climate – watch our website and CJT promotions for these events.
• To put climate on the agenda as candidates make their campaigns. It is more than knowing what we are voting against, we need to know that we are voting for leadership and action on climate change and social justice – watch for a candidates forum in your electorate.
• To tautoko|support the drive to get people enrolled to vote in time (by October 25th) for the election.

Community Climate Education

We have Toi Foundation funding to offer more free public workshops in Taranaki (with facilitators trained to offer the Climate Fresk)

These workshops are designed to build a ‘cause → effect → solutions’ picture of climate change, to feel what we feel about that and then participate in a structured conversation that allows each person/group to find the action/step that makes sense for them to take next. The public workshop is a 3 hour ‘head, heart, legs’ experience suitable for:

• Friends and family (16 years plus)
• Colleagues (you can team up in the action phase of the workshop to develop/discuss a work related action)
• Community group members and leaders (looking for insights, guidance and opportunities around climate solutions in their organisation)
• Beginners → experts in climate change

Watch our website and other promotions for workshop times and places, feel free to request a workshop (we can be flexible with when and where), spread the word! Learning together is less lonely and daunting, knowledge is power!

Submission: Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill

These two Bills, if passed, will replace the Resource Management Act (RMA), separating land use planning from the use and protection of the natural environment despite the inextricable links of the two. Notably, any impacts on the climate will be irrelevant. The threshold for consenting and public participation in consent processes will be raised so high that few activities will require consents and even fewer people will be considered affected parties. The goal of ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity is vague and paves the way for ‘offsets’ when effective protection and restoration are sorely needed for many of our indigenous and threatened species. Worse still, corporate property rights trump ecosystems as companies may seek ‘regulatory relief’ and be  compensated/paid to not pollute the environment or harm native wildlife. These two Bills, along with the infamous Fast Track Approvals Act and the government’s push for so-called ‘critical minerals’, could see Aotearoa NZ strip-mined for corporate profits at huge public and environmental costs.

To hear expert analyses on the two Bills, head to  EDS’ (webinar 1 and2), Forest and Bird’s webinar and key submission points or use Greenpeace’s guide.

We encourage readers to comment early on these two Bills through the Parliament website here.

Submissions close on 13 Feb at 4:30pm. 

Other things …

Along with these specific projects, Climate Justice Taranaki remains committed to research (e.g. offshore wind energy), outreach and action so you can expect to see press releases, petitions and contributions to hearings from CJT as well as notices about relevant wānanga and opportunities for you to participate in and lend your voices and shoulders to the wheel of climate justice.

Please make contact if you want to know more, make suggestions or you want to join the group.

Ngā mihi nui, Climate Justice Taranaki