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August/Hereturikōkā 2020


This month: Greenpeace action, workshop and some great resources

Piki mai, kake mai to the Aotearoa Climate Justice Network newsletter. It comes on the 3rd Sunday of the monthWe are building a network of radical climate justice organisers across Aotearoa. We all work within different existing groups and the network will help us support each other to share ideas and action. We are united by our desire to replace capitalism with social and economic justice.
– Our kaupapa
– Our tikangaUpcoming

Make sure to send in an update for your group so we know what gwarn (some Manchester slang)
Our Network 
Join us on Sunday 6th September for our monthly check-in. Last time we had Green candidate Steve Abel. This month we hope to have someone from Hamilton, or maybe a member of the working group who drove the climate justice kaupapa informing the election demands of much of the climate movement.
Sunday 6th September, 20:00 – 21:30. Zoom linkOpen Agenda here, feel free to add.

Greenpeace
Our allies at Greenpeace have been busy putting a stop to synthetic fertiliser. They are running a nationwide day of action against synthetic fertiliser. They’ll update for definite once we know what’s happening with COVID, but currently there’s actions planned across the country. 
Saturday 29th AugustMore info. 

Alternative Aotearoa 
The hui took place on Saturday 25th July. The presentation videos and transcripts can be found here. And the summary from the day is in this PDF. It’s quite a long read, but contains, cumulatively, the kind of society we’re all working toward.

350 NZ

Big congrats to the team at 350, they successfully forced Kiwibank to divest from fossil fuels. Erica’s write up Talks about the significance of it and how it happened. A successful campaign well won.
 
Amnesty International
They’re hosting a workshop on indigenous and disability rights intersecting with climate justice. Led by a young disabled and indigenous activist, Kera O’Regan. I had the privilege to be involved in a similar workshop with her in February and I learned a hell of a lot in 2 hours.
Tuesday 25th August, 17:30 – 19:00. On Zoom and free! More info

Extinction Rebellion
The roadshow is still on, as of now. Though a meeting is taking place tomorrow to figure out the contingency plans, given it was supposed to kick-off at Cape Reinga on the 23rd. Local groups have been busy supporting the Fridays for Future vigils at lunchtimes. XR Waitakere borough out 100 parents and children to the Canal Road tree defence. Actors read the Lorax and by all accounts was an excellent bit of child-friendly NVDA

Resources

A new episode of US socialist podcast the Dig talks to two organisers working with young POC in Philadelphia. It’s one of the most interesting and holistic discussions about organising as a craft I’ve heard. They talk about organisations needing discipline so that they can build leadership, and thus increase the power of working class folks in the city. Whilst offering some spicy takes on what progressive activists often get wrong in their praxis. Skip to about 30 mins in for the good stuff.

A really insightful Q+A article with Malcolm Ferdinand, a professor from Martinique, discussing what a decolonial ecology is.

One for the pakeha in the network. An amazing article discussing the swift rise and the fall of the Portland ‘Wall of Moms’ in the US. Basically they were a group of white Mums who went out to block the police from getting to protestors (great!). But then the story turns when they didn’t listen or respond to the protestors, many of whom were POC. It demonstrates so clearly how not to go about being an ally to BIPOC. Really, really interesting. And a bit sad.
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Newsletter

July 2020


This month: Steve Abel at our next meeting, films, roadshows and tools

Piki mai, kake mai to the Aotearoa Climate Justice Network bulletin. It comes on the 3rd Sunday of the monthWe are building a network of radical climate justice organisers across Aotearoa and different existing groups. It will help us support each other and share ideas and action. We are united by our desire to replace capitalism with social and economic justice for all.
– Our kaupapa
– Our tikanga

I’ve been researching past social movements and campaigns and something that is at the heart and the origin of each one was a network of activists who knew each other. They coordinated to amplify and support new people in those moments of whirlwind when a new momentum is generated. ACT UP, Black Lives Matter, XR UK, Occupy, the Arab Spring, the Civil Rights Movement. All of them were started or amplified by people who were networked. So the existence of a network for those in the climate justice movement seems, to me, to be an essential element of transformational change.

Upcoming
Make sure to send in for your group so next month is longer !
Our monthly Meet-Up
Obviously a can’t miss! We had the pleasure of a School Striker present last time, and This month Steve Able, ex Greenpeace campaigner now a Green candidate will talk about a current local campaign to protect trees.
Sunday 2 August 20:00 – 21:30 ZoomMore info.

Greenpeace
GP are now kindly hosting a ‘Radical Library’ of tools and devices available to anyone doing actions for climate or conservation themes. The idea is they’ll be available at short notice. Some are being kept inWhangārei as well as Tamaki.
They plan to host another session to make more of these soon (think lock-on devices, pipes etc.)

 Rebel Film Collective
They made a film last year about the School Strikers ‘High Tide Don’t Hide’. They met recently to discuss how to fund-raise the remaining $20k to ensure it’s distribution is as wide as possible for a potential Labour Weekend release date. There was a diverse range of groups involved in that discussion. If you have any ideas/money/support. 
More info

 Alternative Aotearoa 
If you hadn’t seen, an impressive collective of groups are coming together to discuss a post-Covid vision for the country. It’s in Wellington but will be live-streamed.
Saturday 25 July 9:00 – 16:00. More info 

Climate Justice Taranaki
Climate Justice Taranaki is a community group committed to justice, action and true solutions to climate change. 

Since 2010, we have focused our work on educating the public about the adverse effects of oil and gas extraction in Taranaki. We rally community support to resist all new onshore and offshore drilling and advocate for a sustainable region and the urgent phasing out of investments and dependence on all non-renewable energy and industrial agriculture that degrade our soil and rivers.Our vision is a world that values resource conservation and efficiency, and sustainable energy, agriculture, transport and community resilience that brings justice for marginalised people, future generations and planet earth.

We have two actions coming up in the next week with other groups here in Taranaki. It would be great if everyone could share and support our media releases when they come out. The focus will be on ending gas extraction, in particular its use for fertiliser and ‘green’ hydrogen.

Hunger Strike
There is a hunger strike for the climate on at parliament in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

Extinction Rebellion
A roadshow campaign will be happening that will travel through the country to stop in as many towns as we can find people to hold a symbolic action. If you would be keen to stay in the loop of this and maybe hold something in your town then kylematthews1975@gmail.com is one of the coordinators.

Also regular Friday actions in many branches to support Fridays for Future.

Resource Share
Thanks to Conor for sharing this inspiring lecture from Angela Davis about how change happens. I’ve been reading a lot about the CRM and Black Panthers and a consistent theme seems to be the women at the time articulating the most sophisticated strategic and organising methodology
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Newsletter

Newsletter June 2020

He Tōtara Wāhi Rua He Kai Nā Te Ahi – A Totara Split in Two is Fuel For the FireJune 2020

This month: introductions, basic ins and outs, do’s and don’ts, how to add your event, a couple of training events

Piki mai, kake mai to the Aotearoa Climate Justice Network bulletin. It comes on the 3rd Sunday of the monthWe are building a network of radical climate justice organisers across Aotearoa and different existing groups. It will help us support each other and share ideas and action. We are united by our desire to replace capitalism with social and economic justice for all.
– Our kaupapa
– Our tikangaI’m Huw, based in Tamaki, and will be in the bulletin hotseat until the end of 2020. This first one is a little admin-y, but next month I’ll go for something more high action, low process.

Speaking of processes, we have an agreed process for adding people to the Facebook group which you can read here. We want the group to be high value & high trust so the essence is that someone needs to be vouched for to get invited in. 

To submit the summary and action call-out of your group’s mahi for next month’s bulletin, go to this document to find out how. By the 2nd Sunday of each month.UpcomingMake sure to send in for your group so next month is longer !
Greenpeace
Event: Their community skill share schedule continues this week with our very own Simon Oosterman discussing his campaign that made mental health the key election issue in 2017.
Wednesday 24/Saturday 27 June 16:00 – 17:00. More info

Our monthly Meet-Up
Event: Obviously! Draft agenda here, get in there and make it marvellous.
Sunday 5 July 20:00 – 21:30 ZoomMore info. 

Extinction Rebellion
Summary
: Like most groups, Covid torpedo’d lots of plans and many activists were lost or had a change of circumstance. A campaign is in the works to travel the country and try to force climate onto the election agenda through a series of actions. It’s not confirmed if this is definitely going ahead, but if it does there will be an opportunity to engage in your area for a day of action.

Event: A facilitation session especially for women is on tomorrow, open to all.
Tuesday 23 June 19:00 – 21:30. More info.
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Read. Watch. Listen.

If we needed any more evidence that we will need to hold a (potential) Labour majority to account next yearthe Conversation explains how they ignored their own report on improving water quality.

And the Conversation again, highlighting that any economic recession will hit Maori and pasifika communities the hardest unless they are put at the centre of recovery plans.

A great episode of the Hot take podcast with David Wallace-Wells about Covid through a climate lens. It’s an American pod, but looks critically at climate movements and news coverage with an intersectional and racial justice lens. They’re also really funny.

Afua Hirsch talks in this short interview about the need to elevate the conversation about racial justice above the symbolic. It’s an (again) UK context, but historical awareness by white/pakeha people is equally lacking in Aotearoa as it is in the UK.

Finally, a British climate podcast (can you tell where I’m from?) talking to author Mark Lynas about his new book Six Degrees: A Final Warning. It goes into what a 6 degree world looks like: spoiler, it’s bad. Something for motivation in there.That’s all this month.

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aotearoaclimatejusticenetwork@gmail.com