Striking students in New Plymouth surprised by Prime Minister

Friday, 15 March 2019

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern showed up at the Student Strike 4 Climate Change in New Plymouth on Friday.

As striking Taranaki school students protested in an attempt to gain politicians' attention they were surprised with a supportive guest speaker - the Prime Minister.

Students from all over the region left school and gathered at New Plymouth's Puke Ariki Landing as part of the international School Strike 4 Climate Change on Friday.

Hundreds gathered with signs and handed out flyers warning of climate change while others spoke of why they there.

But as the speeches drew to a close Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who was in town for two other events, surprised the students with her presence.

Hundreds of students - and adults - from all over the region gathered at the Puke Ariki Landing.

* New Plymouth council faces 'unique challenge' as region's economy changes

* Climate change strike: This is why Kiwi kids are 'bunking' school**

She thanked them for their efforts as she believed climate change was the challenge of her generation.

'It is the biggest challenge we will tackle globally in my lifetime and in your lifetime,' Ardern said.

'Thank you for raising the awareness, not just here in New Zealand but from around the world.

New Plymouth Girls' High School environmental leaders Bec Simpson, 17, and Kim De Vantier, 17, spoke at the event.

'It's your future and you're fighting for it.'

She also asked them to not give up.

'My message to you is that here in New Zealand we hear you, we know we need to act and we are. But keep doing everything that you can to bring people with you because we cannot do this alone.'

Piri Pearsall, 11, of Coromandel was in New Plymouth for the weekend for Womad but decided to come down and speak at the protest.

When she spoke of the plans to have 100 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2050 - the crowd cheered.

'It's not because we want to, because we have to.'

New Plymouth Girls' High School environmental leaders Bec Simpson, 17, and Kim De Vantier, 17, spoke to their peers at the event.

They said there was 'no question' whether they'd be involved or not when they first heard about the strike.

'We really valued the opportunity, it's so awesome to be able to speak,' Simpson said.

'And now we've just spoken at the same event as Jacinda Ardern.'

Coromandel-based Piri Pearsall, 11, was in New Plymouth for the weekend and decided she wanted to speak at the event.

'Climate change has been a hot topic in my house my whole life,' Pearsall said.

The 11-year-old was concerned about how 'mother nature is screaming' as the environment was impacted by climate change.

'Mum tells me when she was little, it never used to happen.

'If the rivers are sick, we're sick.'

Pearsall said she was a bit 'star struck' when the Prime Minister turned up too.