#136: Every vote is a climate vote
On electricity and never missing a chance to vote
Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!
We’re thinking of you all down in Ōtepoti/Dunedin who have been impacted by the floods, as well as the flooding in Central and West Africa and Nepal. It’s a stark reminder, especially for our team members connected to these regions, of how climate change impacts are increasing, especially for the most vulnerable.
Today, let’s talk about a local issue in Tāmaki Makaurau that highlights how hidden systems can affect us. It’s a prime example of how complex power structures can operate without anyone noticing – no villains needed! Enter the Entrust elections.
If you haven’t heard of them, don’t worry - most people haven’t, and that’s a big part of the issue. Vector, Auckland’s electricity lines company, has the potential to decarbonise the energy system of our largest city. It’s 75.1% community-owned, meaning we have a say in how it’s run and share in its profits via five Trustees who are elected every three years to represent us. These trustees create a group, or trust, called Entrust. The trust decides how we invest in future growth, renewable energy, and climate solutions, so it’s crucial that citizens vote if they are eligible.
The problem? Most people don’t know these elections even exist, let alone what’s at stake. The elections impact how Vector is run and, ultimately, how much we pay for electricity, yet only 12% of eligible people voted last time. These elections, and their impact, are not obvious - and because it’s a postal vote, it’s harder for many people to participate.
Shareholder voting, local government, school trustees - what elections could you be missing in your area? We fix climate change by working across every level. We can challenge the status quo by staying informed and getting involved in the democratic opportunities we have, keeping climate a key factor in our communities.
What can we do today?
Last week, over 650 of you clicked on our oil and gas ban submission guide within the 4 days we had it live!
🐝 5 minutes: The Fast (them) and the Furious (us)
The list of 149 upcoming Fast Track projects has been released. Forest & Bird is calling for the Environmental Committee to delay their reporting back to Parliament to allow for public consultation on these projects.
Action: Sign the letter and add your comments to show your support for public consultation and call for a pause to the fast track bill
🐇 15 minutes: Auck-ward this is just for Auck-landers
We have a chance to speed up the decarbonisation of our largest city’s energy system. Vector, Auckland’s electricity distributor, manages the power supply to 364,000 Auckland homes and businesses. After years of climate-denying leadership, there's now an opportunity to elect a fresh team focused on clean energy solutions. This October, Aucklanders in the Entrust District (south of the Auckland Harbour bridge and east of Avondale, including Waiheke) can vote for representatives that prioritise energy affordability & sustainability. With only a 12% voter turnout last time, your vote is crucial —especially when the system counts on you not noticing.
Aucklanders, due 25 October: Watch your mailbox and make sure you & everyone you know votes in the Entrust election!
Rest of NZ, share this with all the Aucklanders you know!Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland: Auckland Council are holding a quick survey about improvements to High Street which could increase and improve pedestrianised CBD spaces.
Action: Take the survey to show your support for a walkable CBD
💃🏽 30+ minutes: Join a hang with the climate gang!
Te Whanganui-a-tara/Wellington, today 5pm: The Future is Rail team is presenting at an Urban Nerds meeting. This is a chance to meet other rail supporters, and hear some ideas about how rail could be. Join us to explore the transformative power of rail and what the future of rail could look like (and a path to achieving it).
Action: Register and join the Future is Rail team for a train-focused hang!Tāmaki Makaurau: Extinction Rebellion hold regular climate cafes to allow folks a low-key way to meet other volunteers. Join their next meetup and meet the team!
Upcoming events
Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau, Wed 23 Oct, 4pm - 7pm: Climate Club runs interactive workshops for your friends, team, or organisation! We’ve got one coming up this week as part of Auckland’s Biketober! Register here.
Wānaka & Queenstown, 29 Oct - 2 Nov, mix of paid & free: The 2024 Wao Summit is coming up! Wao is a local organisation that runs programmes & events to promote climate justice and a transition to a low-carbon future. Their upcoming summit brings together a huge range of workshops and talks that seek to foster climate action and systemic change. Register for the 2024 Wao Summit.
Wins!
It’s the end of an era as Britain’s last coal-fired power plant shuts down, after 142 year history of coal-fired electricity.
Look how fast a country’s energy system can decarbonise - this was policy across both conservative and progressive leadership, because climate action should not be political football.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this creative oral submission on the Crown Mineral Amendments Bill (oil & gas expansion).
See you next week,
Dhanya & the Climate Club team
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