600k for Climate Action
The Combined Community Trusts of Aotearoa have contributed 600k to a collaborative ‘Kaupapa of National Significance, climate action fund’ to boost community resilience to a changing climate and empower national-scale climate initiatives.
To be successful, the proposed initiatives needed to include the following:
a commitment to prioritising disadvantaged communities,
plans to review and measure its impact,
contribute to a broader movement of change,
demonstrate a commitment to working with Iwi and Hapū to address the causes and impacts of climate change,
have potential benefits at a national scale or demonstrate long-term scalability.
Successful fund recipients are Lawyers for Climate Action NZ, The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa, and Para Kore Marae Incorporated; each entity will receive two hundred thousand dollars towards their respective kaupapa, paid out over two years.
Para Kore Marae Incorporated is a kaupapa Māori, not-for-profit organisation. With a vision of Oranga Taiao, Oranga Marae, Oranga Whānau - they recognise that the wellbeing of the natural world and the wellbeing and self-determination of marae, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori Māori is inextricably linked.
Para Kore received funding for their ‘Toitū Te Taiao’ programme, which supports hapu, marae, whānau, and hapori Maori to realise their climate goals and aspirations. Para Kore Marae, in partnership with Go Eco and three lead networks (Te Waka Kai Ora, Community Energy Network, and the Zero Waste Network) will work collaboratively to identify, coordinate, educate, resource, and build capacity within communities to improve climate outcomes and resilience.
The Kaupapa of National Significance funding acknowledges the need to fund grassroots, community-driven initiatives that lead to direct and immediate impacts. The Toitu Te Taiao programme resolves the issue of communities often working on climate goals independently with limited knowledge about the resources available to support them.
Pictured: Para Kore setting up a composting system at a school in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton.
The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa (TNC NZ) is working to advance coordinated action for coastal ecosystems in Aotearoa.
Coastal wetlands are effective carbon sinks, provide vital habitats for endemic species and increase the resilience of local communities to sea-level rise. TNC NZ is laying the groundwork for a comprehensive roadmap for blue carbon coastal ecosystem restoration and preservation.
TNC NZ will collaborate with coastal communities, iwi/hapū and those engaged in coastal mitigation and adaptation efforts, with a particular focus on communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and the transition to a lower-carbon society.
Their initiative recognises that Marae and communities located near coastal areas and waterways are vulnerable to flooding from increased severe weather events. Supporting hapū and iwi to restore coastal wetland areas will not only increase the community’s protection from storm surges, but also enhance carbon sequestration, increase biodiversity, improve water quality, and support the retention of cultural resources and practices.
Pictured: Pukehina Cutwater Road site May 2024, credit Anna Menendez Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Lawyers for Climate Action NZ is a registered charity and incorporated society with over 350 members that mobilises and enables volunteer lawyers to use the law to achieve more effective action on the climate crisis.
The law is one of the most powerful tools for enabling more effective action on climate change. We know that our climate laws and policies, and the actions by many of our leaders and high-emitters, are far behind what is required to keep global temperatures below the 1.5-degree threshold. This is why people around the world are increasingly turning to courts to combat the climate crisis, holding governments and the private sector accountable and increasing ambition on climate.
The climate crisis will disproportionately affect the most disadvantaged groups in society. Lawyers for Climate Action partners with community groups, matching them with pro bono lawyers to provide legal support. They also focus on bringing legal advocacy on the issues that will have the biggest effect on New Zealand’s climate ambition and emissions reductions. They work to shape the development of more effective climate laws and policies, empower communities by bringing legal muscle to community climate action, and bring strategic climate litigation – all by unlocking volunteer legal services. To date, their members have given more than four million dollars worth of free legal services for the climate, and this funding is going to enable them to do even more.
The Kaupapa of National Significance Fund seeks to support and empower community-based and led climate action through funding initiatives that contribute to long-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, support ecological resilience, build community climate resilience, contribute to a tika (equitable) transition, reflect our shared commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and enable Māori aspirations regarding climate action.
The Climate Action Aotearoa and Combined Community Trusts Working Group (CAWG) underwent a rigorous process to select the successful recipients of the fund. First accepting expressions of interest before inviting select organisations to submit a formal funding application, these were then screened by members of the CAWG and independently reviewed by funding assessors from Foundation North and Toi Foundation.
The Combined Community Trust of Aotearoa is confident that the successful recipients of the fund will continue to boost community resilience and advance climate action across Aotearoa.
“We would like to acknowledge everyone who put their name forward for this funding, we are in awe of the incredible climate action initiatives and grassroots movements happening all across the motu. As climate change impacts are exacerbated there is an increased need for climate-targeted funding that supports scaleable environmental mitigation or scalable behavioural change. We can unlock greater impacts in future years by showcasing opportunities for others to invest in. We invite funders, philanthropic organisations, businesses, and individuals alike to rise to the occasion, catalyse positive change, and join us in this vital mahi by increasing funding support for climate action initiatives.” Says Linn Araboglos, of the Combined Community Trusts of Aotearoa Climate Action Working Group.
Esther Whitehead, Climate Co-Lead to the signatories of the Funders Commitment on Climate Action says, “There’s much philanthropy can do to highlight success stories and showcase scalable projects that others may wish to invest in. The due diligence has been done, making a stronger case for other donors to join a collaborative funding model. The CAWG has spearheaded this work so that this finance approach can remind us what’s possible when we work together to achieve positive climate impact.”
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