Within Te Taiao | Nature on Level 2 is a nature debate platform called Te Au | The Current where we invite manuhiri to respond to environmental challenges and proposed ideas for how to deal with them. Here, Exhibition Experience Developer Murphy Peoples shares visitor responses to a recent topic about climate change resilience.
Creating a climate change-resilient Aotearoa New Zealand
In response to Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, we asked our visitors to share their feelings and leave a comment about the following environmental issue and an idea of a way to respond to it via Te Au | The Current. The issue and idea were:
Ka mau tonu te āhuarangi hurihuri nā ngā tukuwaro o mua. Ko ngā mahi whakatikatika o tēnei rā ka whai hua ki te anamata. (Manatū Mō Te Taiao)
Me nui atu te pūtea kia manawaroa ai ki te āhuarangi hurihuri, ā, me iti iho ki ngā ratonga mātauranga, ārai hoariri, hauora rānei. He pēhea ki a koe tēnei take?
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Past emissions have locked in climate change. Our actions today to manage the risks will have a positive impact on our future. (Ministry for the Environment)
We should spend more on funding climate change resilience, and less on public services like education, defence, or health. How do you feel about this idea?
Manuhiri are asked to select and share how they feel with the options: Excited, Hopeful, Don’t care, Worried, or Angry.
This hypothetical idea is written in a way that forces us to think about what we would be willing to sacrifice in order to take action, and truly be kaitiaki, for nature. Would we give less funding to public services in order to build a more climate change-resilient country?
As well as sharing their feelings about the idea, visitors can also leave a comment sharing why they feel the way they do.
people are finally starting to take climate change seriously because of extreme weather events (‘hopeful’ international manuhiri, age 45–64)
What did you say?
There were 8,679 responses between 21 February and 22 June 2023, with 2,975 manuhiri leaving relevant comments that I was able to group in a broad way – here are four of the most common themes:
There needs to be a middle ground (31% of comments)
Responses here were supportive of funding climate change resilience, but not at the cost of education and health. You said we need to find a balance, and not choose one above another. Of these commenters, 66% selected the feeling ‘worried’. Sample comment:
funding for climate change mitigation and adaption should not need to come at the cost of health and education. (‘worried’ Hawke’s Bay manuhiri, age 25–44)
This is a good idea (21% of comments)
Commenters here agreed with the proposed idea of funding climate resilience above public services. Of these, 42% were from children aged under 15, and 63% of commenters were ‘hopeful’. Sample comment:
the consequences of not taking responsibility will be more painful tomorrow than the sacrifices we make today (‘hopeful’ Auckland manuhiri, age 45–64)
Take action/make change for te taiao (10% of comments)
These comments were urging action or changes to be made in support of climate change resilience but were more centred on encouraging personal actions, such as reducing plastic use.
I am angry that people are polluting and destroying animals habitats for buildings and factories. (‘angry’ Hawke’s Bay manuhiri, under 15)
There’s no planet B (7% of comments)
Responses included in this theme ran along the lines of there’s no point worrying about public services if there’s no planet to live on, or no humans left. Despite this negative sentiment, 60% of commenters selected the feeling ‘hopeful’ in that things could still change.
we kinda need a earth to live in bruh (‘excited’ Auckland manuhiri, age 15–24)
If we do not care about climate change we cannot care about health education or defence if the world or humanity does not exist anymore. Climate change has priority because it affects everything else. (‘excited’ international manuhiri, age 15–24)
What do you think?
Do these themes reflect your thoughts on this idea? Would you be willing to give less funding to social services in order to protect te taiao? Or is there another solution?
As with all debates, there were lots of different opinions and different perspectives shared by our manuhiri, but overall they were in favour of taking action of some kind – but the question remains, at what cost?
If you’d like to have your say on our current environmental topic visit Te Taiao |Nature or share your thoughts on our online version of Te Au | The Current.
You can also access the data from a range of our previous topics at data.govt.nz.
