School’s out - so are the climate protesters

Monday, 25 September 2023

Young and old were out in central Christchurch on Saturday as school-age climate strikers mobilised their elders to make climate change a top election issue.

Part of the nationwide Climate Action Week, the march was the first School Strike for Climate (SS4C) Ōtautahi had held on a weekend, as it seeks to broaden the rallying cry to grown ups who might otherwise be at work.

Further north, activists waded into the chilly water of Wellington Harbour to urge people to vote for climate action.

Previous strikes across the country have mobilised tens of thousands of people.

“I am protesting because this election is taking place at a crucial tipping point for our planet’s future,” SS4C activist Aurora Garner-Randolph said.

“I want to tell politicians that I will not sit passively by and watch emissions rise and extreme weather events ruin people’s lives.”

Garner-Randolph was among around 50 protesters who held a ‘fly in’ at the Christchurch City Council offices to kick off a week of climate action, voicing concerns about plans for a new international airport planned near the Central Otago town of Tarras.

The group is demanding all political parties commit to the Climate Shift 10-point plan for climate action, which has three key themes: real emissions reductions, supporting frontline communities and restoring and rewilding nature.

The SS4C Otautahi protest in March, part of coordinated protests nationally and around the world, saw hundreds of young people stage a sit-in at the council offices, demanding an audience with Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger.