#114: Fun fact: MPs get peer pressured too

On the Fast-Track Bill and throwing a pivot

May 06, 2024

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!

We’ve been talking about the Fast-Track Bill for a few weeks now, and asked you all to advocate for our whenua. This week, Chris Bishop, the Minister responsible for the Fast-Track legislation, has said he’s now considering backtracking on some key components of the bill. Just like us in high school, MPs feel the peer pressure too.

“Now Bishop is leaving the door open to walking back the latter change at least. He is clearly spooked by the strength of opposition to the legislation, including from the authoritative and nonpartisan environment commissioner and Auditor-General.” - Marc Daalder, Newsroom

Images depicting Ross and the cast of Friends trying to move a couch up stairs, with the text ‘PIVOT!’ over top. — We’re happier than Ross and Friends were about this hint of a pivot.

See? We spooked him! 🎉 Now for the next steps, the Select Committee are considering the bill and will report back in September 2024.

While we wait, our next challenge will be to keep up the pressure on the government. Now is the time to let them know that New Zealanders don’t want a bill that will override all of our existing environmental regulations to enable more big polluting projects. One impactful way to start is to speak to MPs about the importance of environmental regulation for businesses and society, or joining the workshops to learn about doing oral submissions for the Fast-Track Bill.

Check out the actions below, to keep the pressure on!

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was the petition to save our passenger rail network. They’re now at nearly 12,000 signatures!

🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Tell Microsoft to Excel at climate

Microsoft is the world’s most valuable public company - and they’ve committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030. However, their emissions have actually increased by 43% since 2020 - we need them to start living up to their promises.
Action: Sign the global petition to hold Microsoft to account
Warming sea temperatures, increasing acidification of oceans - climate change threatens our marine species and so they need more action to protect them, not less. Recently, Minister Shane Jones chose to remove the death limit for sea lions from the fishing industry. This takes away one of the critical parts of ocean life.
Action: Sign this petition to reinstate the fishing related mortality limit

🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Make every day (ac)count for the climate

We know what hits our purses matters. The very clever Wendy McGuinness has published a white paper on budgeting for our climate obligations by June this year, and it’s a great lever to encourage the government to take more climate action.
Action: Use our email guide to email Simon Watts on accounting for our climate costs

💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: Start your training montage

Online, 7pm tonight or late May: The Environment Select Committee are currently hearing oral submissions on the Fast-track Bill. The team at 350 Aotearoa are running trainings on giving oral submissions, to help you make an impact with MPs.
Action: Sign up for the oral submission training here
Taranaki, Saturday 11 May: Taranaki folks! Climate Justice Taranaki are holding an all day event for you to meet other people who care about the climate, with speakers and workshops that you can drop in on at any time of the day.
Action: Join the Community Climate Action Gathering at Te Whare Hononga
Wellington or online, Wed 8 May, 5:30pm: Students for Climate Solutions is holding their second workshop on how best to use the tools available to us to get information from the public sector, to support our climate campaigns.
Action: Register to attend either in person or online!
Wellington 12:30pm Wednesday: Spice up your lunchtime with a bit of direct climate action with local Iwi. Meet at Parliament to protest the Fast-Track Bill.
Action: Join a lunchtime protest, yum!

Climate Club

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