Thanks for signing up to our mailing list and welcome to the first supporter update for the Aotearoa Climate Education Coalition (ACEC).

We have compiled a summary of action initiatives, blogs, longer reads, events, training and more for you to read and share with your friends and networks.

Please click on the link below if you would like to share some information or events with us to put in the next newsletter, or to sign up to future emails if this hasn’t come directly into your inbox.

Taking Action:

Be the voice for climate education in this election

With less than 2 months until the election, climate action groups are mobilising to help ensure that climate is a key election issue. There are a number of coordinated campaigns that we want to make connections with to ensure that education is squarely identified as part of the solution and way forward for a climate-safe Aotearoa. 

Who’s leading big pre-election campaigns on climate action?

Climate Shift has put forward a 10 point plan for climate action. 

SS4C and Fridays for the Future have just announced a Week of Climate Action 18-24 September.

How can our coalition help to ensure education is visible in the climate campaign space?

Our friends at Climate Club have put together this excellent guide to being a voice for climate at the election, by asking candidates good questions on climate issues. There are some upcoming webinar training sessions on asking climate questions at candidate meetings through Climate Shift.

To supplement these resources, ACEC has drafted some questions that have a specific focus on education and climate change, accessed via the box below.

Policies:

‘Make it 16’ Bill introduced to parliament

On 15 August the Government introduced a Bill to Parliament to lower the age for local elections. Read more here.

Submissions open for Inquiry into Climate Adaptation

The Government’s Environment Committee Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Taiao has initiated an inquiry into climate adaptation, and is calling for public submissions until 1 November. The scope of the inquiry includes looking at the current approach to community-led retreat and adaptation funding, its strengths, risks and costs, lessons learned from severe weather events and natural disasters in Aotearoa New Zealand for community-led retreat and funding climate adaptation, effective mechanisms for community-led decision making, and more. The Ministry for the Environment has produced this issues and options paper to help with the submissions process.

Let us know if you or your organisation will be making a submission, or if you would like to contribute to a submission from ACEC. 

Recent blogs addressing education and climate change:

What competencies will young people need to live in the Anthropocene? By Chris Eames for Ipu Kererū, blog of the NZ Association for Research in Education. Read it here.

What do Boards of Trustees need to know about climate transitions? By Rachel Bolstad from NZCER summarises her presentation and discussion at the recent School Trustees Association conference. Read it here.

Dismantling climate coloniality and working towards climate justice: three considerations for climate change education. By Preeti Nayak, Global CCE blog. Read it here.

Longer reads:

A Guide to Just Transitions; produced by Motu Research for Communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. It was commissioned by the Just Transition Partnership team within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment with the goal of creating a practical resource that would help communities and organisations to run their own just transition processes.

Podcast that talks about the production of this document: When the Facts Change with Bernard Hickey: Making climate adaptation as fair as possible

United Nations System Common Principles on Future Generations. A set of common principles developed for the United Nations system to serve as a basis for a shared understanding of the concept of future generations and intergenerational equity.

You Tube:

The Climate Conversation - recent event at Southbank Centre, London

Some very powerful korero from speakers including Greta Thunberg, Tori Tsui, Dominique Palmer, Daphne Frias, Mya-Rose Craig and Ati Viviam Villafaña. Watch it here (1 hour and 40 minutes).

Training:

Working towards less waste: 

The team at Xtreme Zero Waste in Raglan have created a FREE online course presented by the crew who work with waste every day for folks everywhere keen on joining the journey to less waste. It's super beginner friendly and aimed at people starting their journey, reflecting on their rubbish bag and what we can do to reduce it and save ourselves some $$.  You can do the 6-module course in your own time, the first module dropped on 14 August, with new ones added each week. Register here.

Using Te Ao Maori principles to cultivate a hua parakore garden

Presented by Jessica Hutchings and Pounamu Skelton at Papawhakaritorito, this video-based programme of six modules will help you learn new skills for growing veggies, composting, saving seeds and creating healthy soil. Find out more.

Events:

Introducing Me Tū ā-Uru, and action plan for environmental governance and decision making. Tuesday 28 August, 10:30-11:30
Me Tū ā-Uru was written by a working group of Māori researchers and practitioners.

Three members of the Me Tū ā-Uru working group Professor Maria Bargh (Te Arawa and Ngāti Awa), Professor Carwyn Jones (Ngāti Kahungunu) and Ellie Tapsell (Te Arawa and Tainui) will speak to the action plan and the challenges and opportunities it presents for reaching healthier long-term human and environmental relationships.

Details about the event.

4 September Climate Quest: Empowering change-makers for a sustainable future, part of the Auckland Climate Festival. 5-7pm Kidzfirst Seminar Room, Otahuhu. Free. Book here.

6 September Turning Climate Anxiety into Action: An evening of climate community, part of the Auckland Climate Festival. 6-9pm Location TBC. $7-$15. Book here.

18 September Climate Action Workshop for Sustainability Professionals, Part of the Auckland Climate Festival, delivered by Climate Club using the international Climate Fresk model. 1-4pm, location TBC. Book here.

Survey:

The Big New Zealand Climate Action Survey

Researcher Jonathan Oosterman is running a national survey as part of his research exploring how questions of urgency and systemic change shape people’s decision-making for climate action. It is open to anyone living in Aotearoa New Zealand who is 16 years old or over, and who takes any sort of action to respond to climate change. Take part here.