“Why did you not fix it?”
Yesterday evening, at the launch of Kiwis in Climate in the New Zealand Parliament, former Climate Change Minister Tim Groser shared a story about picking up his granddaughter from school.
He asked her what she had been studying that day.
“Climate change,” she said.
He then made what he described as a fatal mistake. He told her that he used to be the Climate Change Minister.
She looked at him and asked: “Why did you not fix it?”
The room laughed. But the message landed.
Future generations are watching what we do today.
A room full of climate solutions
Our CEO Barbara Nebel and Director Matthias Nebel were invited to the launch of Kiwis in Climate at Parliament last night and share their reflections from the evening.
The event brought together scientists, farmers, entrepreneurs, activists, policymakers and climate leaders from across Aotearoa.
The book, edited by Tessa Vincent, brings together around 30 voices working on practical climate solutions across New Zealand.
Instead of focusing on climate doom, the evening focused on what is already working and what can be scaled.
From fear to action
Tessa Vincent opened the evening with a story about reading a book on global warming with her young niece. The frightening descriptions quickly made her niece worried, so they switched to a book about the ocean, which sparked curiosity and hope instead.
As Tessa reflected:
“Many of us are tired of the doom and gloom that surrounds climate change. When we think about protecting the people and places we love, we feel more empowered to act.” - Tessa Vincent
That tone shaped the entire evening.
Less fear. More solutions.
Climate leadership is collective
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts opened the event with a clear message.
“Climate leadership is not just about one person or one business. It is about what we can achieve when we work together.” - Simon Watts
He also pointed to encouraging progress. New Zealand’s emissions are starting to decline while the economy continues to grow, and renewable electricity recently reached around 98 percent of generation during some weeks over summer.
However, it is important to remember that this is only electricity, which represents around 30 to 40 percent of all energy used in New Zealand.
The next challenge is electrifying the rest of the economy.
Technology will matter
One technology discussed that evening was supercritical geothermal energy.
New exploratory wells are now being drilled to test whether deeper geothermal resources could unlock vast amounts of renewable energy. If successful, it could provide a reliable and abundant source of clean power for New Zealand’s future energy system, said Groser.
Voices from across Aotearoa
The panel reflected the diversity of climate leadership in New Zealand.
Youth climate leader Sophie Handford reminded us of the power of collective action:
“Young people are passionate. They care.”
“We know how to dream, right? And we know how to think beyond constraints and to not be boxed in with what is typically considered business as usual.” - Sophie Handford
Indigenous climate advocate Kaeden Watts highlighted the importance of indigenous knowledge:
“If we want to understand how to care for this land, we need to look to the people who have studied it and lived with it and know the land better than anybody.” - Kaeden Watts
Ecological farmer Sam Hogg shared how regenerative farming transformed his dairy farm:
“What appeared like our biggest issue actually posed one of our biggest solutions.”
Rod Carr, former Chair of the New Zealand Climate Change Commission, closed the event by highlighting that New Zealand already has a clear path to decarbonisation through electrification using existing technologies. He argued that everyone has a role to play and should aim to do “as much as we can, as soon as we can.”
One takeaway from the evening
Climate solutions will not come from one sector, one ideology or one technology.
They will come from collaboration.
From activists and indigenous leaders to farmers, engineers, entrepreneurs and policymakers.
Kiwis in Climate celebrates exactly that.
And if the evening at Parliament showed anything, it is this:
Many New Zealanders are already working on the solutions.
Read Kiwis in Climate:
Voices for Climate Solutions in Aotearoa New Zealand edited by Tessa Vincent, published by Bateman Books, out this month, RRP $45, kiwisinclimate.org/kic-book