Kia ora e hoa mā,
Urgent Plea – No LNG import facility at Port Taranaki
At our public meeting last Tuesday (26/05/2026), jointly organised with Taranaki Energy Watch (TEW) and Community Energy Taranaki (CET), over 70 New Plymouth residents signed an ‘Urgent Plea’ addressed to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Energy Minister Simeon Brown, and Cabinet Ministers, asking them to can the proposed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import facility.
This Wednesday 3 June, we will present the signed Plea to New Plymouth District Councillors at their Public Engagement meeting. Local councils need to understand what’s at stake – the danger to local residents, the liability if something happens, the financial costs and the loss of opportunity for a better, more resilient energy future. The meeting will begin at 2pm, with 3 other speakers before us. The agenda is here. If you are in New Plymouth, come in support.
We also encourage all readers to write to the Prime Minister and Energy Minister as well as the opposition parties, local MPs, candidates and councillors, to express your concerns about the LNG plan:
- The LNG import facility would prolong NZ’s reliance on fossil gas and greenhouse gas emissions that are counter to our climate commitments.
- LNG import would expose NZ to volatile fossil fuel markets linked to increasingly volatile geo-political situations globally, resulting in disruptive gas and electricity costs.
- The low probability but high impact fatality and injury risks and consequences of an LNG import facility sited at Port Taranaki to residents are unacceptable.
- An Enabling legislation which would allow the LNG facility to be built and operational, and a levy put on all electricity users to fund the project is undemocratic and unfair.
- There are far better alternative solutions to our so-called ‘dry year’ risks, such as shifting energy demand off peak and accelerating renewable energy generation, efficiency and storage.
Notably Meridian just announced that LNG is not needed for electricity generation in so-called dry year. So why spend $2.7 billion or more on such a dangerous ‘white elephant’, if not to ‘pamper’ the fossil fuel industry?
Below are some handy addresses:
Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz
Simeon.Brown@parliament.govt.nz
David.MacLeod@parliament.govt.nz
Barbara.Kuriger@parliament.govt.nz
Chris.Hipkins@parliament.govt.nz
Megan.Woods@parliament.govt.nz
Chloe.Swarbrick@parliament.govt.nz
Scott.Willis@parliament.govt.nz
Debbie.Ngarewa-Packer@parliament.govt.nz
amanda.clinton-gohdes@labour.org.nz
Sarah.Lucas@opportunity.org.nz
Write to the mayor and councillors at New Plymouth District Council and Taranaki Regional Council also, so they know your concerns and what is at stake to them.
In addition, please sign this petition prepared by Greenpeace, especially if you are outside Taranaki, and share it. Crucially, get in touch if you would like to be more actively involved or have any suggestions.
Waitangi Tribunal Climate Change Priority Inquiry – Wai 3325
Hearing eight of this inquiry took place in the last week of May. Climate Justice Taranaki’s economic expert witness Prof. Ilan Noy spoke and was cross examined by the Crown in the afternoon on day 4. The recordings are available below:
Day 1: https://youtube.com/live/7fonJBZ33Qk?feature=share
Day 2: https://youtube.com/live/7VXTsO3vEds?feature=share
Day 3: https://youtube.com/live/BGTxMlEdyAw?feature=share
Day 4: https://youtube.com/live/kAFcaB6iaig?feature=share
Day 5: https://youtube.com/live/6kgq7jo90ko?feature=share
Join Ngāti Hine in Treaty Clause Review Claim – Wai 682
The coalition government is ramping up in its attack on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, threatening to remove or weaken references to Treaty clauses or the principles of the Treaty in 23 pieces of legislation.
The National Iwi Chairs Forum is strongly opposed to the proposed law changes. “It is also particularly egregious that decisions have been made to include provisions referring to Te Tiriti in the Education and Training Act 2020 and Climate Change Response Act 2020 when issues relating to those acts are the subject of active hearings before the Waitangi Tribunal.”
The group said the proposed reforms were ideologically driven and were not grounded in good public policy that addressed a specific problem or need.
Ngāti Hine have filed an urgent claim in the Waitangi Tribunal, asking the Tribunal to urgently inquire into alleged fundamental breaches of Te Tiriti and the principles of Te Tiriti that will occur if the Crown proceeds with the law changes. In legal filings, lawyers for Ngāti Hine said the Crown’s decisions were “an inappropriate exercise of its authority” and undermined tino rangatiratanga.
Toitū te Tiriti have filed an application to become an interested party to the Claim and to tautoko Ngāti Hine to try and get an urgent hearing. Timing is critical because the Government is already drafting the legislation… If you would like to be a part of the group (over 63,000 people) represented by Toitū te Tiriti or to get involved, please complete this form before the 1st June. Every person is important to record our opposition to this ongoing attack on Te Tiriti.
Ora Taiao, Ora Tangata | Thriving Planet, Thriving People – climate education project
On May 21st our education team facilitated the final climate fresk workshop of our planned series.
Since the beginning of March we have run ten free workshops for a total of 90 people. In each workshop we played the climate fresk game, talked about our responses to our new knowledge and discussed the many ways we can take action on climate change.
Participants committed to taking an action within a week of their workshop. These actions included:
TRANSPORT – walking more, catching the bus, joining public transport and cycle advocacy groups, carpooling…
FOOD – eating less meat, growing more food, joining a community gardening effort…
HOME – clearing drains, reducing food (and other) waste, mending clothes instead of buying new….
MONEY – making climate friendly choices when it comes to banking, Kiwi Saver and investments
WORK – getting landlords to set up recycling stations and workplace composting (through greenloop), creating climate support, action and accountability groups with colleagues….
TREES – PLANTING MORE OF THEM! Through community planting efforts, supporting kura planting projects, supplying seedlings, planting trees at home, getting involved in biodiversity protection through trapping etc …
USING OUR VOICE – making submissions, signing petitions, joining lobbying efforts, voting for climate but also taking the courage to talk about climate change more – e.g. telling friends, whānau, colleagues, acquaintances about having done a fresk, asking our kids what they know…
TO ALL OUR PARTICIPANTS: Thank you for your honest and supportive participation, for being in the conversation that is climate change and carrying it forward.
Thank you too to those who made unexpected donations when they registered.
We will contact all of you who said you would like to (or may be interested to) become a fresk facilitator.
WHAT NEXT? Climate Justice Taranaki has funding till the end of July to offer more free climate workshops.
If you belong to a community group that is looking for more understanding or help with climate accountability and action – please get in touch.
Likewise – if you would like to be added to a list of people wanting to do a fresk we can add another public fresk for you to join.
Climate change is not something to carry alone. Let’s find our allies and keep the momentum going!
Community is Climate Resilience
The webinar organised by Environment Hubs Aotearoa on community resilience was brilliant. The speakers shared their experience and lessons learnt from cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland anniversary floods. Key messages include:
- Prioritise the most vulnerable and most isolated
- Invest in communities ahead of emergencies
- Focus on empowering communities, be less reliant on market & state solutions
- Shift from technological to local, social solutions
- Build relationships of trust
- Make Emergency Response Plans now
- Collect data before, during and after emergencies
- Invest in a bobcat and satellite phones – crucial during emergencies
Check out the Community Resilience Research webpage and read the report.
Solar for Schools & NGOs, 10 June
Community Energy Taranaki (CET) is hosting a free info evening for schools, clubs, churches, marae, retirement villages and not-for-profits. The event will take place at Toi Foundation in New Plymouth from 5:30-7pm on 10 June. RSVP: communityenergytaranaki@gmail.com
Conservation Amendment Bill, submission by 2 July
The government wants to change the purpose of the Conservation Act 1987, to enable greater economic development on public conservation land. Along with a suite of reforms, notably making 60% of conservation land eligible for sale or exchange, the impacts could be profound. The Bill would further narrow the crown’s obligations to iwi and ongoing Tiriti o Waitangi commitments.
CJT encourages all to submit on this Bill using the Parliament portal, no later than Thursday the 2nd July. For more information, read Forest and Bird’s Explainer.
Check your voting enrolment
Please do check that you are enroled to vote for the election. We have had reports that some previous voters have somehow dropped off the roll unknowingly. Make sure you put in your name and address correctly and re-enrol now if you are not on it. The final enrolment date is 25th October. Let’s mobilize everybody, our whānau, friends and colleagues, to enroll and to vote at the coming election – exercise our democratic rights.
Kia māmā, kia hauora, kia kaha,
Nā,
the Team at Climate Justice Taranaki
Climate Justice Taranaki 