Climate solutions in focus as election approaches

As New Zealand approaches a pivotal election, a new book is highlighting a need to refocus on climate solutions.

Kiwis in Climate, launching at the University of Auckland in March, details bold and practical ways Aotearoa can lead on climate solutions. Scientists, politicians, CEOs and citizens demonstrate what we are doing now – and what we need to do – to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The collection features more than 30 New Zealanders who point to how climate solutions can improve our lives, from cheaper energy to job creation and healthier communities.

In the book’s foreword, former University of Auckland student and Olympic pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, a prominent voice for environmental protection, reflects on the deep relationship between people and the land in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“Like many Indigenous peoples around the world, Māori, the first people to call Aotearoa home, innately understood the Earth as our lifeline,” she writes. “She is called Papatūānuku, she is the Earth Mother that sustains us. In te reo Māori, the word for land and placenta are the same: whenua. Our health and the health of the land are inseparable.”

McCartney says the book highlights how New Zealanders are already turning the challenge of climate change into solutions.

“It shows the diversity of disciplines, from business to policy to science to mātauranga Māori, working together to shape a better future.”

The book’s official launch on 19 March features a keynote from Auckland Law School’s Dr Justin Sobion.

Sobion recently brought the voices of small island nations to the world’s highest court, demanding urgent action on climate justice. He represented Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the historic International Court of Justice advisory opinion case and made a strong plea for justice for the small island nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Sobion says Kiwis in Climate arrives at a critical moment for the country.

“The timing for this book is perfect in the lead-up to the election. In my view, there’s no political appetite at this time to pursue environmental objectives,” he says. “We are distracted by many other issues, but our environment desperately needs attention.

“Even though our land is beautiful, it’s fragile.”

He says the book highlights practical local responses to a global challenge.

“This is a Kiwiana book, one that should be in every household,” Sobion says. “It celebrates solutions we have for the climate crisis, such as the Whanganui River, which is protected under its status as a ‘legal person’.”

Kiwis in Climate provides an accessible stocktake of where New Zealand stands on climate mitigation and adaptation, while showcasing examples of progress already underway – from ecological farming practices that work with nature to citizen-led changes such as Wellington’s cycling transformation.

Among the contributors are leading climate scientist, 2024 New Zealander of the Year and University of Auckland alumnus Jim Salinger, and Professor Jacinta Ruru who’s the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori at the University of Otago and a leading scholar of Indigenous law.

Salinger lays out the hard science of climate change. He grounds the science in Aotearoa New Zealand’s reality, pointing to Cyclone Gabrielle, melting South Island glaciers and dying salmon in the Marlborough Sounds.

Ruru points to Indigenous leadership as offering some of the most powerful pathways for climate action. Her call is to re-enable and welcome the practice of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination/sovereignty) by Iwi as a valuable and essential addition to caring for public lands and waters.

The book launches across Aotearoa in March, with events and a digital campaign to spark broader conversations about climate action during an important year for New Zealand’s future.

More information on the launch.