A vigil will commence on Parliament lawn Monday, July 6th at 8am and continue indefinitely, led by father of three and environmental activist David Goldsmith. A fasting strike, led by David and several others will commence the following week on Monday, July 13th and continue for the remainder of the vigil.

The vigil is a direct response to the failure of our leaders to adequately address the climate emergency, and is a call to action for all citizens and organizations of Aoteoroa who will no longer stand for government inaction or tepid promises. Everyone is invited to join the vigil in solidarity on Parliament lawn to show our leaders that the time for meaningful change is now. Participation in the fasting component is not required.

For David Goldsmith, a 52 year old father of three, the climate crisis is deeply personal. “The fire that burst within me to do this is simply that our situation is desperate… I'm particularly close to, indeed deeply in love with, my delightful 4 year old daughter Hana. When I think of her and her brothers’ (Dylan 22 and Rowan 20) future, then this gets real for me. I'm not saying that this is only about me and my children, of course it is about all of us. But mostly I'm just in my head about the horror of all this, not really feeling it: it's just too big, too overwhelming. But when I think of Hana my love can't be held back, my love just floods forward and then I start feeling it. And in feeling it for Hana, I'm feeling it for everyone else as well, including those starving right now, and those suffering and dying in climate wars right now; already facing what we all will be facing soon enough.”

Current solutions offered by the government fall drastically short of what is required to address this crisis. The core demand of the vigil/strike is that our leaders immediately act on solutions aligned with the scientific consensus, which calls for complete societal transformation within the next ten years to avoid the worst impacts of the climate emergency, and do so in a way that is fair and kind to all.

All are welcome to join in whenever possible. Participants are advised to dress for the weather as this is an outdoor event. Activities during the action are currently being organised and will be announced on an ongoing basis.

We recognize that Te Ātiawa/Taranaki ki Te Upoko o Te Ika has mana whenua over the location in which this action takes place, and participants hope to honour them with our commitment to restoring and preserving the land for a safe and healthy future.

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