Climate change: Young activists in Palmerston North want their voice heard

Schoolchildren desperate for Government action to prevent climate change want young people’s voices to be heard.

A group of school students and other supporters gathered in Te Marae o Hine-The Square on Friday afternoon, part of the nationwide School Strike 4 Climate, where children all over New Zealand attended events.

It was a smaller protest than previous ones, with more adults than school students, but it had been organised with little notice.

Event organiser Autumn Newsome, a Massey University student, said the event was to hold politicians to account over climate change.

READ MORE:
* In pictures: School students protest for more action on climate change
* Students prepare to protest for climate action
* ‘Keep your carbon in the soil’: Students strike again against climate change

The protesters have five national demands: no new fossil fuel mining or exploration, the lowering of the voting age to 16, to have 30% of the ocean protected by 2025, to support regenerative farming and have e-bike rebates for lower income households.

“Before the general election this year we all wanted to make sure we’re holding MPs and councils to account in relation to their climate obligations,” she said.

Lowering the voting age was an important request because it would give more young people concerned with the environment a voice.

“The whakaaro (idea) of School Strike for Climate is that we need to be able to have the ability to build for the future and one way we can do that is by getting the voting age to 16. Rangatahi (youth) build the future.”

Supporting regenerative farming would help reduce emissions and the leaching of nitrates and phosphorous into waterways, she said.

“Te mauri o te wai, so that means restoring wetlands and having legitimate relationships with iwi and hapū locally to achieve that.”

Palmerston North Boys’ High School student Josh Moss, 17, was one of the students at the protest.

He believed there was an increasing feeling among young people wanting action against climate change.

“I’m just tired of inaction from Government and people. I think it’s really important to show there’s a lot of people who care about the environment.”

Awatapu College student Connor Johnson, 16, said people had been arguing for it for a long time.

“If we all come together hopefully the power can all make a difference.”

He said there was talk of action against climate change in 2019, but it had dropped off a bit, so students wanted to keep the message out there.

Young people had to pay tax if they had a job, so 16-year-olds should be able to vote, Johnson said.

“It’s part of democracy.”