We had so much fun protesting outside Grant Robertson’s electorate office last Friday, we decided to do it again for the next few weeks! Tim paid for a parking space to secure our legal “occupation”, giving our signs and flags maximum visibility. It was refreshing to engage with the drivers and pedestrians passing by.
If you are in the area (220 Willis Street, opposite Warehouse Stationery) in the next few Fridays (between 12.30 and 1.30pm), please come and join us! You can bring your own budget-related climate protest sign, or hold one of the signs we bring with us.
While the Parliament Lawn indisposed, we are holding our Fridays For Future protests at a different site each week.
This Friday we are meeting outside the electorate office for the MP for Wellington Central (and Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson). The office is on the ground floor of 220 Willis Street (opposite Warehouse Stationery).
Let’s meet there at 12.30pm for our usual hour of protest.
We’ll have our flags and some signs, but bring your own sign if you like. Maybe on a theme most relevant to the Finance Minister. For example, about investing enough money into the Government’s climate policies.
350 Aotearoa, Generation Zero and the Fossil Free State Sector Coalition are collectively hosting a series of climate justice potluck events.
The idea is that we can get together, share our mahi, ideas and see if there are overlaps, room for collaboration, and just have a general catch up and eat some tasty kai!
The first potluck will be held at:
Aro Valley Community Hall in central Pōneke
6 pm – 8 pm
Friday 25th February
What to bring
Bring potluck if you feel comfortable doing so. If you would prefer not to share food, feel free to bring something along for yourself to snack on.
The venue is vaccine pass mandated so please bring this along with you, and remember general COVID-19 precautions under the traffic light system.
Agenda
6:30 pm
Karakia and karakia kai/ Welcome, grab some kai and discussion of general kaupapa of the group
6:45 pm
Check-in and share a bit about yourself and the organisation you are representing (if you are representing an org)
7:15 pm
Thoughts moving forward
7:30 pm onwards
Eat some more yum kai and meet fellow climate activists and organisers!
Because Parliament grounds were closed (and otherwise occupied), some of us regulars took our Fridays for Future protest online – from our workplace and from home. Nice selfies!
Marcia from Whanganui sent us a photo of their climate protest. It’s a pretty good turnout!
As for what’s going to happen next at Parliament, if the Lawn continues to unavailable, we have a few options. We could keep doing our protests online, decide on an alternative site for in-real-life protests, or maybe even pick a different site every week. What do you think?
The Parliament Lawn just does not look right without climate protesters by the statue
This Friday we will not be at the Parliament Lawn – but don’t worry, we are still protesting the Government’s lack of urgent climate action. We’ll just be protesting online!
The Parliamentary grounds are currently closed due to the occupation by anti-vaccine mandate protesters. So, unless the situation changes before Friday morning we are protesting online, where ever we happen to be.
Please send us a selfie of you and your protest placard, and we’ll post it up on our website and social media!
Dolf and Francesca garbed in cycling gear and mini Fridays for Future flags
“Cycling is climate action”, say Francesca and her husband Dolf. Combining their love of travel with a preference for cycling as a sustainable (and healthy) way to get around, these two are off on a tour of the South Island to see the sights and get people talking and thinking what they could do to reduce emissions and work toward a more sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.
The international Fridays For Future has set March 25 as a day to demand climate justice.
“Climate struggle is class struggle, for years, the ruling class, primarily through corporations and governments from the Global North dominated by affluent, white, heterosexual cis-males, have exercised their power, gained through colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy and exploitation, to destroy the earth and its occupants with no remorse.
They deliberately sacrifice the Global South’s ecosystems and peoples for the sake of their so-called “development” and everlasting “economic growth”. Meanwhile, the working class is used as tools to build the very system that is destroying them. “(As quoted from the Fridays for Future website.)
Here in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, our group will be protesting on the Parliament Front Lawn as usual. We’ll keep it simple, because of Omicron and Red. But we are thinking of doing more. Some ideas for additional activities include:
chalking messages on the ground outside Parliament and inviting members of the public to join in
having some picnic rugs on the grass to welcome anyone who just wants to relax and take in the atmosphere
making new placards
sending a letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about why we still need to be here nagging her government after more than 2 years
What are your ideas?
Fridays for Future Aotearoa on 4 Feb 2022 Never give up! Never say die!
