#112: Over 13,000 submissions

When submission parties became the new cool

Mōrena, and Happy World Earth Day for yesterday!

Look what we can do when we care: Last week in Aotearoa we asked friends, community members, and colleagues to get angry and protect the whenua that we rely on for our lives, sustenance, and happiness. 

Submissions on the Fast-Track Bill closed last Friday night and we’ve heard from our friends at 350 Aotearoa that tens of thousands of people viewed the Fast-Track Bill submission guide. We also have inside sources saying that over 13,000 people submitted! Thank you all for sharing & submitting, especially for those of you who have done this for the first time ever. Let us know in the comments how it went👇

It’s a brilliant start to this fight. The government's aim to play fast and dirty on this bill and push it through under the radar has been well and truly thwarted. There will be plenty more opportunities in the coming months to raise our voices against wanton corporate exploitation of our natural heritage… coming soon to a select committee meeting near you!

The next stage will be crucial, with the government deliberation on our responses, and the upcoming oral submissions from corporates, nonprofits, and community (us!). If you ticked the box for giving an oral submission, firstly, props to you. Secondly, keep an eye out for training sessions on how to deliver a powerful oral submission around mid-May. 

Now, on to our next order of business!

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the Greenpeace quick submission to oppose the Fast-Track Bill. 

🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Let’s not bank on fossil fuels

• CitiGroup is one of the top two funders of fossil fuels worldwide. They have set zero-emissions targets…but at the same time they’re now planning to fund a new, 12 billion dollar petrochemical plant. It’s hard to do both.
  Action: Call on Citi Group to stop investing in fossil fuel projects 

🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Waste no time to reduce waste

• Have you had to buy a new product, because it couldn’t be fixed? The Right to Repair Bill requires companies to make and provide spare parts, instead of selling products that break and go straight to landfill. This reduces the number of new products we are forced to buy and throw away, and the resources we need to mine and extract to make these disposable products. NZ households produce more solid waste per person than any other OECD country, but Right to Repair is becoming a widespread law adopted across the EU and parts of the US.
  Quick link: Template email to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
  Action: Email guide for Right to Repair

💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Try a strike on a bike!

• Some exciting climate job opportunities are up on the Climate Job Board!

• Christchurch, Fri 3 May: If you’re at the University of Canterbury, we love this initiative by the UC Climate Action Club. They are holding monthly bike strikes, cycling to the Christchurch City Council to ask for better cycleways and other active transport options.
  Action: Follow their instagram for info on the next bike strike (info on their story!)

• The Climate Change Commission has 3 consultations open on the fourth emissions budget, management of shipping/aviation emissions, and the review of the 2050 target. We usually share the guides for these submissions in the newsletter, but would love some help to write a submission guide.
  Action: Volunteer as tribute (email us) if you’re interested in writing a Climate Club submission guide for one or more of these consultations.

Save the date

• Tamaki Makaurau, Tues 30 April: Tāmaki Makaurau Community Climate Action Network are holding community discussions around food, transport, consumption, and movement-building.
  Action: Register by end of day TODAY (23 April) for their network hui

• Taranaki, Sat 11 May: Want to be part of building a just future? Join Climate Justice Taranaki at their wānanga to mobilise the community and grow climate action collectively. There will be epic speakers (Prof. Bronwyn Hayward & iwi leader Mike Smith!) and interactive workshops.
  Action: Register for your free Climate Action Now ticket here

Wins!

• The Environment Court has shut down a sand mining company’s attempt to keep dredging the coastline north of Auckland! Expert evidence & a large community response from conservation groups, mana whenua, and a lot of local residents won this case. Gary Taylor of Environmental Defence Society said “That’s the antithesis of what we’re looking at in the fast-track process where the assessment will be very superficial. Environmental considerations will be relegated below development imperatives and in the end, ministers will be making decisions.”

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That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this list of public transport advocacy organisations in Aotearoa. If our Transport4All campaign piqued your interest in the role of public transport in a liveable, healthier future, check them out and see if you might get involved!

See you next week, 

Dhanya & the Climate Club team

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