How big business persuaded the New Zealand government to adopt one of the worst climate change policies in the world.
A free documentary screening at OGGB4, Owen Glenn Building, University of Auckland, 5 March 7pm.
Hosted by Auckland Coal Action and Engineers for Social Responsibility. Donations appreciated.
Once again, Auckland Coal Action were back at Mangatawhiri on the last day of the long weekend, to protest Fonterra’s use of coal at its Waikato milk plants. As usual, traffic was slow so thousands of motorists had plenty of time to read and think about our several signs.
Auckland Coal Action will hold its annual general meeting at the Friends Meeting House, corner of Sylvan Ave and Mt. Eden Road, Mt. Eden at 1pm this Saturday.
Anyone with an interest in positive action to prevent climate change is welcome.
Agenda available on request: aucklandcoalaction@gmail.com
Fonterra has indefinitely deferred opening of it’s new coal mine at Mangatawhiri, however we believe it plans to purchase coal from Solid Energy’s nearby Kopako coal mine, currently closed but soon to reopen thanks to Fonterra.
Auckland Coal Action says Fonterra should start switching their boilers to renewable, environmentally-friendly biomass sources such as wood waste.
This Auckland Anniversary Monday we will be back at Mangatawhiri (only 45 minutes from the CBD) to make thousands of motorists returning to Auckland aware of the mine and increase pressure on Fonterra to keep it closed and clean up their act.
When?
Auckland Anniversary Monday 26 January, starting at 3pm
What?
Meet for a roadside rally against Fonterra’s proposed new coal mine.
Who?
Auckland Coal Action is calling for the public to join us to rally to protest Fonterra’s proposed new coal mine.
Where?
On the Auckland-bound side of State Highway 2 next to the site of the proposed new coal mine on the Mangatawhiri straight.
Meet after 2pm for roadside protest at the corner of Homestead Road (motorway overbridge) and Bell Road.
Coming from Auckland you will need to take the Mangatawhiri exit from State Highway 2 onto Mangatawhiri Road (incorrectly shown as Mangatangi Rd on Google Maps).
Coming from East, you will need to take the Golf Road exit.
What should I bring?
Sunblock, something to drink, rain gear and warm clothes. Check this website for updates.
We have heaps of large banners for you to hold up.
What will I do?
There will be lots of returning holiday crowds for you to interact with, Bored out of their minds sitting in the traffic and interested by anything you do, to bring attention to the danger of coal to the environment.
Can anyone come?
Yes. If you are returning from your holiday why not stop and join the rally? You will only be stuck in traffic anyway!
Support the campaign against new coal mines!
Contact Pat 021 066-9009 or Geoff (09)5289450 for carpooling / transport options.
Coal Free Pledge A4 certificates 90 cents each plus $2.40 postage
T-shirts $15 each plus $2.40 postage:
Coal Free NZ stickers 70 cents plus 80 cents postage:
To order, contact Geoff on (027)3847927 or (09)5289450
Fonterra’s new coal mine at Mangatawhiri is more than a year behind schedule and Auckland Coal Action has heard that Fonterra may further defer opening it.
While Auckland Coal Action welcomes the deferral, we say Fonterra should make it permanent and start switching their boilers to renewable, environmentally-friendly biomass sources such as wood waste.
This Labour Weekend Monday we will be back at Mangatawhiri (only 45 minutes from the CBD) to make thousands of motorists returning to Auckland aware of the mine and increase pressure on Fonterra to keep it closed and clean up their act.
When?
Labour Weekend Monday 27 October, starting at 2pm
What?
Meet for a roadside rally against Fonterra’s proposed new coal mine.
Who?
Auckland Coal Action is calling for the public to join us to rally to protest Fonterra’s proposed new coal mine.
Where?
On the Auckland-bound side of State Highway 2 next to the site of the proposed new coal mine on the Mangatawhiri straight.
Meet after 2pm for roadside protest at the corner of Homestead Road (motorway overbridge) and Bell Road.
Coming from Auckland you will need to take the Mangatawhiri exit from State Highway 2 onto Mangatawhiri Road (incorrectly shown as Mangatangi Rd on Google Maps).
Coming from East, you will need to take the Golf Road exit.
What should I bring?
Sunblock, something to drink, rain gear and warm clothes. Check this website for updates.
We have heaps of large banners for you to hold up.
What will I do?
There will be lots of returning holiday crowds for you to interact with, Bored out of their minds sitting in the traffic and interested by anything you do, to bring attention to the danger of coal to the environment.
Can anyone come?
Yes. If you are returning from your holiday why not stop and join the rally? You will only be stuck in traffic anyway!
Support the campaign against new coal mines!
Contact Pat 021 066-9009 or Geoff (09)5289450 for carpooling / transport options.
Auckland Coal Action confronted Fonterra over its use of climate-cooking coal at the North Island’s largest gathering of farmers this weekend.
Jeanette Fitzsimons reports:
The tens of thousands of people queuing to get in to the Mystery Creek Agricultural Fieldays was too good an audience to miss. So twelve ACA people converged on the site on Saturday, the final day. First we set up our “sign trail” along the edge of the road beside the queuing traffic. It told the story as you moved along: already 1 degree hotter; heading for four degrees. Scientists say we may not be able to adapt to that. We need to stop coal mining and deep sea oil drilling. We could live on renewable energy. Climate change is the biggest threat to farming.
A lot of heads turned and it seemed to make an impact. Police and road transport authorities came for a look and were quite unconcerned. Fieldays security would have loved to remove us but had no jurisdiction on the road side. So we stayed some hours.
Inside we gathered at Fonterra’s site with a different set of signs: Fonterra is third biggest user of coal; coal cooks the climate; Fonterra could use wood waste; coal is so last century. There was a long wall on the main thoroughfare painted with Fonterra scenes so we lined up there with our story. We also had small simple fliers telling the same story. People stopped to talk in detail, and many of the Fonterra staff came out and took photos on their cell phones. They mostly seemed sympathetic to our message.
We have cut Fonterra some slack since they told us they were working on a plan to convert up to three of their boilers to wood waste and had applied internally for capital. However that was December, and still nothing has happened and there has been no report back to us. So we have concluded they aren’t serious, or that top management doesn’t support those who are genuinely working on the issue. Whatever, they need to know it isn’t good enough and we will keep on their back.
We lasted maybe half an hour in all before security seized their chance and moved us on, in a particularly officious way. They wanted to take our signs, search our bags, force us to stay together in one place while they called the cops, all of which we laughed at and eventually talked them out of when more senior people arrived but some of them had been just spoiling for a stoush.
We certainly made our point to Fonterra and to quite few of the public. I get the feeling that there is more awareness of and concern about climate change now than a year or two ago, though there is still a long way to go.
Auckland Climate Action 