Signing up for climate action
A Nelson dairy farmer is urging more local organisations and businesses to join a new community-led forum deciding what action to take on climate change.
The owner of Oaklands farm in Stoke, Julian Raine, co-hosted last weekend’s launch of the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum, attended by more than 300 people, and is the group’s interim co-chair.
He said it was ‘‘hugely important’’ that people attended the next meeting, on March 14, of the forum, which he hoped would become a ‘‘blueprint’’ for other areas in New Zealand.
‘‘This is the future for this region,’’ Raine said.
Leaders from workshops at the launch on February 29 were pulling together key points on 14 topics, including transport and community resilience, to help form the region’s strategy for action. It was anticipated that workshops at the next meeting would continue those discussions, Raine said.
People at a land use workshop he attended at the launch said they wanted housing to go ‘‘up, not out’’, to help keep services closer together, allow people to walk and cycle to work, and keep productive land available for food production, to keep food local.
He said that such development could currently be stymied under legislation councils had to follow, like the Resource Management Act, so it was vital that the Nelson City and Tasman District councils were part of the conversation.
The forum was set up with help from the Nelson council, which allocated $30,000 to the establishment of a climate forum and task force after it declared a climate emergency last year.
Raine said a charter, drawn up by about 20 people, from scientists to business owners, was being altered in collaboration other interest groups, and the forum intended to put the revised version to the meeting as a current draft.
‘‘We want to do things as a community, not as individuals battling away,’’ said Raine, who is looking at using solar energy for additional energy at his milk bottling factory, which switched from plastic to glass bottles in 2013.
‘‘I see a lot of people saying this is the right thing to do, but then [there’s] no action.
‘‘If they want to be part of it, and hear practical solutions that will be formulated, and have some input into those practical solutions, turn up, come along.’’
The meeting will be March 14 from 1-4pm at the Headingly Centre, Lower Queen St, Richmond. An email with more information will be sent to people who attended the launch. Those who did not attend can email community@nelsontasmanclimateforum.org.