Tēnā koe Jacinda Ardern, kōrua ko Trevor Mallard, A mātou mihi o te wā Matariki ki a kōrua, rangatira mā
We protestors welcome your support of peaceful protest – and invite you to support a positive response to climate change. Parliament itself could help heal the planet! with a “tiny forest” of natives at one of the gates, nourished by biochar which promotes soil development while it sequesters carbon. This would bring birds from Zealandia right to Parliament.
The photos below are of the Nelson Biochar Forest which is a mere 100 square meters – the fastest growing plants have reached over 2 meters in height 14 months after planting.
The unnecessarily wide steps from the cenotaph to the beehive could give room for a tiny forest plantation; otherwise the sloping lawn near the upper gate from Molesworth St.
Attached below are some references on Miyawaki forests. Please give this urgent consideration – the planting season is upon us!
Microforests to heal the planet and cool the cities
New Zealand’s first microforest in Nelson demonstrates the advantages of planting trees and shrubs by the Miyawaki method in even tiny spaces.
Planted just 14 months ago on carefully prepared soil augmented by biochar, the tallest plants in the Nelson Microforest are now over 2 meters high. The canopy cover is already suppressing weeds, and after another year or two will require no maintenance at all.
The method was developed by Akiro Miyawaki in the 1970s, using all the species found in the natural forest on the soil and climate of a district.
It was quickly taken up by corporates such as Toyota, by Yokohama National University, and by many local bodies, to bring biodiversity to the cities and protect them from flood, tsunami, and fire: https://morinoproject.com/english
FFF members went down to Motueka on 20 June to help Ollie Langridge with planting native trees. Ollie is one of the founding members of FFF Te Upoko o Te Ika, Wellington. Two years ago he bought 40 acres and he has put part of the land into QEII covenant to safe-guard it for perpetuity. Like many of us, he wants to do something to make a difference to heal the planet.
He is planting 3000 natives this planting season. Mollie Melhuish, Dolf van Asbeck and Francesca Pouwer helped plant over 600 trees in the 6 days that we were there. The total number of trees planted this season now tallies up to 2282!! Well on the way to the target of 3000. Ollie hopes to do this again next planting season. And we will be back. My partner Dolf and I, Francesca, were there in February as well to help repot seedlings. If you wish to volunteer send an email to ollie_langgridge@hotmail.com
Francesca and Molly in action
Looking back on what we plantedOllie Langridge on the meditation deck he has built in one of the gullies that has remnants of native bush.
Planting native trees like Totara, Kauri, Miro and Rewarewa made us feel wholesome and at peace. It is so worthwhile to take positive action. It recharged our batteries and helps to keep us going to lobby corporations like Fonterra to make the change to sustainable methods of production.
One of the slides projected on building in Midland Park where Fonterra Wellington office is located.
On the way back home, we stopped off at a micro forest near Nelson. It is the first tiny forest in New Zealand based on the Miyawaki method that prepares the soil and plants the 3 layers of locally sourced native species really closely together. On average the trees grow 10 x faster than is normal for reforestation and it very quickly enhances biodiversity. By having these in urban spaces we stimulate rewilding, improve our air quality, cool our cities and we grow environmental awareness to stand up for what we stand on. In the Netherlands this method has really taken of and it involves school children to help plant them. There are now 200 tiny forests across the Netherlands.
Colin Davis at the forest planted with grant from Nelson City City Council and help of local community The burner to create biochar using wood but any natural waste can be used to put at bottom , with clay and organic fertiliser on top.Note how much the plants have grown in just over a year!Dolf looking down on the phenomenal growth.
The trees you see were planted in April last year and some are as high as 2 metres. As it happens, the land owner next door planted at the same time and you can see in the picture belowthe plants are barely above the planting sleeves.
Trees on neighbouring section
We were most excited to see the results for ourselves.
Molly and I would like to start up micro forest in urban environments involving school students and local iwi as part of our FFF action to combat climate change and take positive action.
It has been a wonderful week and we came back inspired.
At yesterday’s official reopening of Parliament grounds, our group huddled just outside the gate with our flags and signs. Our presence was noted by 1news and Stuff journalists, as well as the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Taken by 1News camera crew and Jessica Mutch-McKay
Next Friday we’ll be back at Midland Park to continue putting pressure on Fonterra about taking actual climate action (not just greenwashing on their website).
There will be a public ceremony to reopen Parliament grounds on Thursday 23 June 12 noon till 1.30pm. Visit the Parliament website for more information.
Fridays for Future will be there – come join us! We will have e our flags and signs with us.
After the ceremony we will go to Midland Park to present Fonterra with a letter asking them to commit to reducing carbon emissions, nitrate pollution and methane emissions.
(And later that day – 5pm til 6pm – is our light show revealing Fonterra’s climate crimes.)
Also, we will not be protesting at Midland Park on Friday 24 June because it is the Matariki public holiday.
If you are in Auckland this Friday (27 May), why not go and have tea on Fonterra?
Join Fridays for Future Tamaki Makerau in a protest against Fonterra’s business practices and encourage them to move toward regenerative agriculture. A sustainability rep has agreed to meet them outside their office and answer their questions.
We sent a letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, with copies to the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw, Minister of Finance Grant Robertson and opposition leader Christopher Luxon
Wellington, May 2022
Kia Ora Ms Ardern,
On 22 April, Earth Day 2022, climate activists in Wellington delivered their requests for action at parliament. ‘Invest in the planet’ and ‘Planet and people before profit’ were the themes for this Global Day of Action for Papatuanuku.
We note that you were in Singapore on Earth Day. As part your press conference you stated:
“We cannot collectively simply return to a high carbon emission business as usual approach. Globally, we have entered what must be an age of action, and that includes the private sector as well. No Government can do this alone, it takes a strong joint effort and I know the business delegation that is travelling with me agrees with this.”
Yes, we are in the age of action but that action needs to be to safeguard our world as best we can. Climate change is here.
Yes, we cannot continue our high carbon emissions return to ‘business as usual’.
Yet you headed to Japan and met with one of the Toyota bosses to arrange for the hydrogen-fuelled car partnership about to hit the streets of Auckland.
You have missed the markif we are heading for more business as usual in a car-centric Aotearoa, albeit one that is a bit less polluting. Affordable public transport for all is far more effective lever for reducing emissions.
Missing the mark on the handshake, a fist bump or a straight handshake, with Japan’s PM, although hilarious, is sadly symptomatic of our continued lagging behind on climate targets in Aotearoa.
“A high five would have been better,” you mumbled once a handshake was established.
Today we bring you our ‘High Five’ to include in a bold Emission Reduction Plan, a key component for a liveable planet for all.
We sincerely hope we, in Aotearoa, do not miss the mark.We do want to shake hands of agreement with our leaders on the ERP to signify the “strong joint effort” on climate action you spoke off in Singapore and that “No Government can do this alone”.
Unfortunately, we cannot at this point in time have a joyous ‘high-five’ moment with you Minister Ardern. The ERP and the new budget do not get close to the mark that is required to change our ‘highly insufficient’ status on the International Climate Tracker.
What we can say – it is good to now have a plan in place and a commitment to work across the major political parties. We urge your government to take a bolder approach.
Climate change is here now.
Violet Chong, Francesca Pouwer and Mick Hillman
Our ‘High Five’ to deliver emission reduction
Do not let agriculture off the hook. This has a crucial role to play. We need transition to sustainable ways of farming to repair and maintain Aotearoa’s lands, waters and wild places which we depend on for food and life.
Halve the herd by 2030 and cut out synthetic nitrogen across all agriculture and horticulture. We need to tackle the huge methane burden Aotearoa imposes on the atmosphere, and this is the most efficient way.
Use R&D to support transition and explore alternative and sustainable agricultural products such as wheat. (We currently import 90% of our wheat for human consumption because we only grow wheat for animal feed.)
Make the biggest polluters do their fair share and incentivise them to be part of the solution.
For Fonterra to: stop using coal by 2028; invest in clean energy production and transition to an alternative income stream, not a low-value product like milk powder that wastes precious water.
For Ravensdown to: stop the sale of synthetic fertilisers by 2028 and develop capacity to upscale production of natural fertiliser/compost for Aoteroa; to become a training company for sustainable farming.
Double the spending on electrified public transport (buses and trains) and micro-mobility options, and permanently reduce fares. The proposed ERP for transport favours individual car ownership of electric cars rather than public transport, and still invests in buying diesel buses for the next 3 years
Zero tolerance to waste, starting now.
Overhaul waste management and recycling to 100% recycling capacity by 2030
Policy development to have 100% sustainable food packaging by 2025
Policy development to bring back a repair culture and make it mandatory for businesses to carry spare parts by 2028
100% renewable energy by 2035.
Use ‘people power’ to heal the planet.
Spearhead a campaign that encourages our team of five million to massively reduce emissions by 2040 and incentivises community and business initiatives to commit to a sustainable future. For example –
Support schools to create tiny forests nearby, to teach children about native trees and shrubs, to watch the native birds and insects come back into the city. We refer you to https://www.ivn.nl/tinyforest/tiny-forest-worldwide
Break down the monopoly of electricity companies to allow community initiatives to create clean energy.
Support viable recycling businesses in the community.
Downsize our economy in a way that doesn’t impose serious hardship on the most vulnerable members of society.We need a politics capable of managing equitably not only a finite carbon budget, but a finite material and energy budget as well.We refer you to the Pathways to Survival www.climatejusticenow.nz
Last Thursday some of us joined Extinction Rebellion Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington in a swarm on the streets outside Parliament. With protest signs upheld, we did a circuit around two Molesworth Street intersections, stopping traffic at for around five seconds each time.
At the first swarm, delayed motorists tooted their horns as expected. At the second swarm, one particularly belligerent driver continued to roll into one of the protesters (who is unhurt). At the third, drivers in both oncoming lanes did this. I personally found this very concerning (but then, I am a newbie at disruption tactics).
We hoped the affected drivers stopped thinking about how inconvenienced they were, long enough to consider why we were doing this in the first place.
On Monday members of a range of climate groups got together to chalk-bomb Wellington’s busiest intersections. Below is the media release that followed.
‘Monday night at midnight (16 May) a coalition of climate activists were out chalk-bombing the streets of Wellington, expressing their disappointment and anger over the inadequate nature of the Emissions Response Plan. The new plan proposes our country buys its way out of excess greenhouse gases (GHG) through overseas carbon offsets.
In the face of the escalating GHG emanating from Aotearoa, people from several climate organisations – 350.org, XR, Fridays For Future, and the Fossil Free State Sector Coalition, had come together from the recent Climate Justice Hui to look at possible steps to turn around the juggernaut that is the climate crisis.
“Seeing cars driving over a chalk image of our planetary home is more than a metaphor” said Francesca Pouwers of Fridays For Future.
Multi coloured signs appeared all over our city’s intersections Monday night. Sadly, the chalk images are washed away – but the serious points about what must be done, remain. They are summarised in statements like “Too Much Emission Here”, “Less Cow Now” and “Decarbonise Decolonise”. These are things we must address. Then we can make the necessary changes to avert what looms in the future.
With the Budget being released tomorrow, 19th May, more action can be expected, with XR calling people to gather at midday at the corner of Hill St and Molesworth.
