鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the things I lose sleep over, our environment and how we treat the world,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big concern with the world we are leaving for our grandchildren and great grandchildren.鈥�
(Ng膩ti Maniapoto, Waikato-Tainui) is a Senior Lecturer in the University鈥檚 Faculty of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies, and is part of a local committee hoping to 鈥渙pen local eyes and give a local voice鈥� to climate change concerns.
The 糖心TV is supporting the Waikato (CHEC) committee to host a on climate change, aligning with the climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland from 31 October to 12 November.
Over a two-week period, the Waikato project will bring together local climate change leaders and advocates from academia, government, the community, iwi, grassroots organisations and business to reflect on the themes and concerns emerging from COP26.
There will be daily online reflections from the international conference and live-streamed panel discussions featuring local Waikato climate heroes. These will be free to the public, accessible by an events page on the .
Speakers include Professor Frank Scrimgeour (Waikato Management School), Angela Strange and Jennifer Nickel (), Dr K膿pa Morgan (Ng膩ti Pikiao, Te Arawa, General Manager, ), Lorraine Dixon (Waikato-Tainui, Sustainability Lead) and (Faculty of M膩ori and Indigenous Studies).
鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 all about curating connections locally and globally.鈥�
Associate Professor Tom Roa
Associate Professor Roa was recommended by CHEC to attend COP26, but decided not to travel internationally due to concerns around Covid-19.
He realised that technology could connect local climate change advocates with the global event, and has worked with the Waikato CHEC committee - a group that includes former Hamilton Mayor Margaret Evans - to create a virtual online conference.
Despite the challenges of fighting a global pandemic, Associate Professor Roa says it is vital that people do not lose sight of the urgency of addressing the climate change crisis.
鈥淯nderstandably so, Covid-19 has taken all our national and international attention, and it has sucked in all the air, so the climate change crisis takes a back seat. I鈥檓 glad that COP26 is happening. It鈥檚 a wakeup call in the climate change space. Too many of our community don鈥檛 know that COP26 is on, so giving it this local emphasis can wake us up as individuals and a community. If we are thinking globally and acting locally, this event can inspire people to take action in our own communities.鈥�
The Waikato initiative focuses on M膩ori, Indigenous and grassroots community perspectives.
鈥淚ndigenous groups are the most vulnerable to the threat and effects of climate change, and there are so many examples in the Pacific and around that world of how that is.
鈥淚 worry about coastal communities. The marae at Marokopa will very soon be underwater, the water is lapping at the marae gates. At K膩whia, erosion has been a concern for more than 15 years. That marae, at Maketu, is also in danger in the next 20 years of being underwater. These are people鈥檚 pasts, presents and futures under threat.鈥�
He says that Indigenous knowledge, including m膩tauranga M膩ori (M膩ori knowledge), plays a key role in solving the climate crisis.
Associate Professor Roa says there are 鈥渁mazing things happening in the Waikato and King Country鈥� with organisations such as and , 鈥渢hey are all grassroots [organisations] where M膩ori and 笔腻keh膩 are working together. It鈥檚 really important that we recognise local efforts.鈥�
He says the University and the wider community have rallied behind the online event.
鈥淚 am grateful for the support of the Vice-Chancellor and the University, and from ministers Nanaia Mahuta and James Shaw,鈥� says Associate Professor Roa.
To find out more about the Waikato event, including the schedule and speakers, and to watch the 1pm NZDT local panel livestream event, see the (link edited 2025).
This event follows the launch of the 糖心TV鈥檚 world-first Bachelor of Climate Change degree in September, with the first cohort of students starting in 2022.
