Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019
INSIDE: Hospice: The Out and About Club P4
Fight on plastic P3 ARE YOU A VIP CUSTOMER? Read ‘Garden Yarn’ on Page 9 to find out if you’re one of our
LUCKY DAILY $50 VOUCHER WINNERS!
FLAIR
Peter & Jenny Giddens 24 hour personal service to all districts
Phone: 06 3797616 Carterton www.richmondfuneralhome.co.nz Personalised funerals, based Traditional Values Personalised funerals based onon traditional diti di tionall values al l es
FOR ALL YOUR FLOORING NEEDS See our advert in Wairarapa Property 97-101 High St North, Carterton Ph 06 379 4055
Strike: There is no plan(et) B Erin Kavanagh-Hall For Lily Lewis, climate change is personal. The 17-year-old Makoura College student had barely started secondary school when her GP identified two suspicious moles and referred her for a mole removal and biopsy. Though only two faint scars remain as evidence of her ordeal, Lily was shaken by the experience.
Nevertheless, her cancer scare has inspired her to advocate for New Zealand’s environment – and speak out against, among other things, the emissions wreaking havoc on the atmosphere. “[The mole removal] wasn’t a nice experience – I still haven’t fully processed it,” Lily said. “We have a massive hole in our ozone layer because of
Claire Harlick (WaiCol), Allyah Gowans, Jessie-May Cassels, Lily Petrovich (Solway College), Lily Lewis (Makoura), Bryn Gibbs (MIS), Carys Marulli de Barletta (St Matthew’s). PHOTO/ERIN KAVANAGH-HALL
greenhouse gasses – it puts New Zealanders’ health at risk. “So, I decided I’d channel my negative experience into something positive.” Lily is one of a group of Wairarapa youngsters joining the front lines in the battle for the planet. Students from almost all the region’s secondary schools, and some pupils from Masterton Intermediate School, have formed Wairarapa Schools Fighting Climate Change – a group dedicated to raising
awareness of environmental issues, and coming up with common-sense solutions to reducing Wairarapa’s carbon footprint. So far, it’s been a busy year for the budding ecowarriors – organising two protests and a tree planting, making a presentation to councillors on the effects of climate change on Wairarapa, and planning activities to encourage individuals to reduce household emissions and plastic consumption. Along with thousands of their fellow Kiwi teens, the group will be organising and taking part in the latest School Strike 4 Climate event, held throughout the country this Friday. Though young people have come under fire for their strike action, and have had their knowledge and motivations questioned, group founder Carys Marulli de Barletta remains undeterred. “Climate change is the biggest issue of our time, and it’s become our issue to solve,” Carys, a Year 13 student at St Matthew’s Collegiate, said. “Young people may not have been around as long, but we have made our own contributions to climate change and it’s important we take responsibility. “If the damage from climate change is going to be fixable, we need to act now – and we’ll
need the support of the older generation to help us reach that goal.” Lily added that older people talked about New Zealand being clean and green and “being able to swim in the rivers back in their day”. “Young people should have the right to experience that same thing – water quality, clean air to breathe, and a generally healthy planet to live on,” Lily added. Carys, a life-long “lover of nature”, said she was inspired to start Wairarapa Schools Fighting Climate Change after talking with a friend about the students’ strike on March 15 – organised by the nationwide movement School Strike 4 Climate. “We talked about St Matthew’s getting involved with the strike – but then we decided this should be a Wairarapawide thing,” she said. The group, under Carys’ leadership, planned the first school strike for climate in Masterton which, as well as a protest march through the town, featured speeches from various environmental advocates and experts, as well as a community activity organised by Enviroschools. “We wanted to inspire positive community action, not just protesting and trying to make a point.” The upcoming strike on Friday afternoon will see further positive action: with a tree Continued on page 3
Test Drive Today ADR 81/02 results for combined cycle. Fuel consumption will vary due to factors such as vehicle condition, driving style and traffic conditions
Eastwood Motor Group Suzuki | 0800 104 103 | www.eastwoodmotorgroup.co.nz | 142 Dixon Street Masterton