A new generation of Elves?
How far is too far for our rangatahi?
On Friday, rangatahi all over Aotearoa will walk out of school to protest the government's inaction toward climate change. For my son, just 13 years old, it will be his third school strike.
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Last year he didn't attend the strike. He told me there was no point. "They don't listen anyway," he said.
And he's right.
So, what next for the children? If the government won't listen to adults who protest in droves against the genocide in Gaza, what hope do children have to get them to care about their futures?
All of this, swirling around in my head, has made me think about a group that was a huge inspiration to me when I was younger - The Earth Liberation Front (ELF).
I was six when the first chapter of the Earth Liberation Front (E.L.F) was founded. I was my son's age when I heard through a zine about the ELF attack on a Vail ski resort. ELF followed up this direct action for environmental protection by fire bombing SUV dealerships and logging headquarters.
Members of ELF were called 'Eco-terrorists' and put on the FBI's Most Wanted lists. There was quite a bit of hysteria about these Elves. Despite never injuring anyone or coming even close to killing anyone, they were treated as violent, dangerous, blood-thirsty terrorists.
In 2026, it's widely accepted that damage of property does not equal terrorism. (If that were the case, we could charge the government and the megacorporations for what severe weather caused by climate-change has done to our homes and small businesses.)
Still, when I see the kids preparing for another climate strike, with a mix of hopelessness and despair, I can't help wondering if there are some Elves among them.
Maybe, there are some Elves among parents and people who love children and want them to have a future.
I come from a family of salt-water people. My father and uncle were surfers and board shapers. I was born in Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast. I grew up on the Northern Beaches in Sydney. In Manly, the stairwell was always gritty with sandy steps. We are a family that loves the water.
From my whare, I can see the sea in the distance. My eldest son was born in his caul and we called him our water baby. When we had our second son we held him up toward our bay just an hour after he was born so we could say, 'this is your tūrangawaewae'.
And yet, we cannot swim anymore. In our own bay and the surrounding bays, thanks to profit-driven mismanagement, and a disregard for the living and breathing beings in our city's waters. They've filled the sea with shit. Tangata Whenua have been systemically ignored and disrespected and our moana, our awa, is no longer considered a taonga.
There is no urgency to address the relentless pollution of our bays, which was underway long before the latest sewage spill from a poorly-maintained plant. Ko te wai te ora ngā mea katoa - Water is the life giver of all things. Yet, we have had to watch in devastation at the reckless destruction of our beaches.
Will our tamariki and rangatahi forgive us? How will removing their ability to swim and enjoy their awa radicalise them? Will they fight? What will happen next?
Welcome to the struggle of all species to be free.
We are the burning rage of this dying planet. The war of greed ravages the Earth and species die out every day. ELF works to speed up the collapse of industry, to scare the rich, and to undermine the foundations of the state. We embrace social and deep-ecology as a practical resistance movement. We have to show the enemy that we are serious about defending what is sacred. Together we have teeth and claws to match our dreams. Our greatest weapons are imagination and the ability to strike when least expected. - ELF 1997
As we speak, the government is passing a law preventing companies from being sued over climate change. The law, which applies to current and future cases, will end a High Court case against Fonterra and six other major emitters.
The lawsuit that triggered this legislation targets seven companies that knowingly and willfully contribute about a third of our country's emissions. The case argues that they have a legal duty of care to communities that are being damaged by the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
As always, this government's priority was not on Aotearoa's people or environment - it was laser focused on capitalism and profits.
Property will cost us the Earth.
- Andreas Malm
A report by the New Zealand Climate Change Commission has said that our "degraded" water infrastructure will cause devastating flooding and deadly landslides by 2050.
By 2090, 1.5 million people could experience an extra 10 very hot days (above 30°C) every year, with risks for human health like strokes. Wildfires will increase in number and scale.
Our current emergency management system "lacks the capacity or capability to deal with significant, complex, widespread events impacting multiple regions at once".
The government has said they won't be doing anything about the report until their "next term". It's just not a priority.
The Earth isn’t dying; it’s being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.
What are YOU doing for the earth tonight?
No Compromise in Defense of Our Earth!
Stop Urban Sprawl Or We Will.
The elves are watching. - ELF 1999
In 2017, Jacinda Ardern's Labour Government made addressing climate change a priority. They passed the Zero Carbon Act quickly and ended the issuance of offshore oil and gas exploration permits.
National and NZ First both voted for it. In fact, the bill passed Parliament almost unanimously. The lone holdout? ACT MP David Seymour. (He didn't show up for the vote.)
Upon taking government, what did National, NZ First, and Act do? Without consultation, under urgency, they gutted the Zero Carbon Act and dismantled dozens of climate policies. The coalition has championed the opening of new coal mines and new oil and gas exploration. It's also disestablishing the Ministry for the Environment. The Coalition is still planning on building an LNG terminal in Taranaki which will leave us at the mercy of international gas prices when the "market" is more unstable and riddled with price-gouging than ever.
In response to lobbying from the agricultural sector, which produces half of New Zealand's methane emissions, the government has also lowered emission targets.
Lowering our targets breaches our international obligations, including clauses in free trade agreements with the European Union and the UK. The Ministry of Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment advised against lowering the targets.
"If the lower end of the target (14 percent) is achieved, it will increase the warming caused by New Zealand by [about] 3.3 per cent by 2050 and by [about] 6.2 per cent by 2100 when compared with our current trajectory."
And to cap it all off, the Coalition has rushed out laws that effectively criminalise protest.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
- President John F Kennedy
So how will our children respond to all this? How will we respond? Will we be radicalised before its too late? Will they? What will we sacrifice to ensure a future for our children? What will they sacrifice to demand one.
Are the Elves still watching? I don't know, but our children are.
I'll be standing with our young people at Midday on May 15 at Parliament. And I hope you will too.
School Strike 4 Climate demands
School Strike 4 Climate calls on New Zealanders of all ages, backgrounds, and communities to join this crucial fight for climate justice.
We call on our government to:
- Reinstate the 2018 ban on gas and oil exploration.
- Provide free public transport for Under 25s.
- Lower the voting age to 16.
- Recognise a Palestinian State.
- Revoke the Fast Track Approvals Act.
In Whanganui-a-Tara, students will gather at Civic Square from midday 15 May and march to Parliament Grounds.
In Ōtautahi, students will gather at the Bridge of Remembrance from midday.
I can only write thanks to you. And the cost-of-living crisis is hitting hard.
If you can give a koha to the kaupapa, every little bit helps so much.
Thank you!