#89: Five days to vote!

Our favourite takes on #election2023

Mōrena, and happy Tuesday!

Whatever comes out of #election2023, it’ll be a memorable one for me. During this short period, I’ve found it incredibly encouraging to see the people, passion, and pets 🐶 behind creating a better future for Aotearoa. 

Even if it ends up not being an overwhelming victory for climate this time, what has been achieved in this election campaign is really staggering. Ipsos found that 81% of people are concerned about climate change - and boy did those people come out of the woodwork! During the Vote for Climate campaign, we saw so many people take time out of their workdays and lives, to volunteer, campaign, and circulate over 50,000 Vote for Climate leaflets across Aotearoa (and that’s just from one campaign!)

Beliefs don’t dry up overnight. This represents a huge public opinion shift, a wave that will hopefully only get bigger and stronger over the next 3 years. And a lot of this is down to the dedicated work of passionate people all over Aotearoa, including yourselves!

Remember we’re not in it for the short term. This is a long game, and there have been some major stepping stones we should all be proud of. 

voteforclimatenz

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voteforclimatenz

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greenpeacenz

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If you’re in need of some voting resources before this Saturday for yourself or others, here’s some of our guides for the last time: 

• Voting guide for our overseas folks

• General voting guide

• Voting guide for our whānau and friends with disabilities

What can we do today?

The most-clicked link from last week’s issue was to share the Vote for Climate election scorecards 💚

🐝 If you have 5 minutes: Tell fast fashion to slow down

• Oil is currently involved in every part of the production and delivery process of fast fashion, including the creation of materials (such as polyester and nylon).
  Action: Join the petition to regulate fast fashion in New Zealand and share it with a friend

• For more slow action against fast fashion: Kia māia te peke has launched here in Aotearoa and their Take the Jump campaign is both evidence-based and surprisingly fun to do. I’m nearly the whole way through their secondhand for a year challenge, and it’s been really fun - it’s exciting what you can find thrifting!
  Action: Pledge to have a “wardrobe freeze” and shop secondhand for a year. 

🐇 If you have 15 minutes: Slide into their DMs

• This election is very close, so the conversations you have in these next five days can have a massive impact on the outcome. Vote tripling asks you to find three people you know who might not vote in the election, persuade them to vote with their values, and follow up to lock in their vote (you could even offer to take them to the polls as part of a hang out!)
  Action: Talk to three friends/colleagues/in-laws/people on the bus about voting. It’s easier and less intimidating than you may think - here’s some examples of how other people have done it!

💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes or more: More votes are youthful

• Every voice matters in shaping the society we live in, particularly those who are going to be affected in the long term. The Electoral (Lowering Voting Age for Local Elections and Polls) Legislation Bill is a monumental step toward inclusivity and representation in our democratic processes. This bill seeks to lower the voting age to 16 for local elections and polls, enabling our youth to have a say in the decisions that shape their communities and ultimately, their futures.

  Action: Make a submission to ask for a lowered voting age 

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That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy these horoscopes for how you should vote based on your zodiac sign (Climate Club is a Saggitarius, how bout you?) 

See you next week, 

Dhanya & the Climate Club team

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