Hundreds Of Young People March To Call For Climate Action

Photo: Henry Broadbent

ETHAN ROGACION (HE/HIM)

Chants of “Toitū Te Tiriti”, “Free, free, Palestine”, and “Climate change has got to go” rang out over central Wellington over the mid-tri break, as students and their supporters took to the street, protesting a number of Government policies. 

One protestor told Salient that she was at the protest to strike “for climate justice, social justice.” 

“I want to see half-price public transport brought back, I want to see them stopping stuff [being sent to] Israel, I want to see the Māori Health Authority back in business … they’ve taken everything from us.”

Concern about the Government’s climate policy was also reflected by those in the crowd that weren’t students. Nicola Toki, CEO of Forest and Bird, told Salient that she was at the march for “our future, but more importantly, for our younger people … to tell the Government that the direction they’re going is the wrong track, and a war on nature.”

“All of the legislation that we’re seeing - which is being rolled out with full force - is anti-nature, and so is irreversible in terms of species extinction and the impact that it's going to have, and it's anti-democratic. The power of the people is always greater than the people in power.”