Christchurch Past Events - 2009

Sunday 13th December 2009 (5pm) - End of year get together. We had a shared meal, and Phil the park ranger shared some of his experiences at the international conservation rangers conference in Bolivia and then of his exploration of the incredible Pantanal wetlands in the centre of the Latin American continent. Feedback from the conference he went to was a little depressing. Many of his colleagues in Africa & South America have regular gun battles with poachers & drug barons & don't have support of local communities who want to chop the forest to grow crops for a few years before moving on to the next block. An interesting example was a golf course in a particularly spectacular part of a Sth American national park which was attracting grazing animals to the lovely grass, who attracted jaguars who were promptly shot in case they stole golf balls (or golfers). Education in schools and good visitor centres to bring people on board with conservation work was seen as a key thing.

Monday 30th November 2009 (7.30pm) - Meeting. We discussed potential content for a 10min presentation about A Rocha that can be done at churches.

Saturday 21st November 2009 (10am-12noon) - Free the Trees! Some of our members have been doing some native planting above their patch of native bush at Governor's Bay to prevent  further slips coming down through the bush. Grass is taking over, so the area was due for weeding. We finished at 12 with a barbecue lunch and time to enjoy the birds and the native garden.

Sunday 1st November 2009 (7.30pm) - Meeting. Ian MacDonald the Chairman of the Otamahua / Quail Island Ecological Restoration Trust.  He talked and showed photos about the work of the Trust on the island which has been going on since 1998.  The Trust has now completed its main lot of planting on the planting in the 31 of the 80 hectares of the island that they have authority from DoC to plant in. Since they have been planting since 2001 they now have a considerable amount of growth on the island, variable of course on when it was planted.  They have also been successful in ridding the island of pests such as mice, rats, mustalids and hedgehogs.  The Trust employs 2 part time workers, but also has volunteers involved in planting, each weekend in August/September each year.  We agreed to have our names put down for more information with the aim of some of us doing this next year.

Sunday 27th September 2009 (7.30pm) - Meeting. Discussion topic: economic growth, and how much we can keep up the growth mentality of our economic systems and if/when it might have to change. A pretty fundamental question but one that doesn't seem to be taken seriously in parliament.

August 2009 - Meeting. Discussion topic: the role of technology in environmental issues. Jared Diamond in his book "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed"  gives many examples of  how societies have collapsed because they do not adapt appropriately to changing environmental conditions. One thing different from our world this decade and the plight of the Greenland Norse and the Easter Islanders, is the rapid advance of technology we are in the midst of. Of course technology is a two edge sword - it both causes environmental problems and helps solve problems. This discussion explored the rapid changes in collaboration  technology and gave examples of how communications technology is helping people work together to respond appropriately to environmental crises and most importantly, adapt more quickly than some of our historical institutions have been able to.

July 2009 - Meeting. Kennedy Graham (Green MP) was invited to lead discussion about the New Zealand economy and where it's going. One part of this is the NZ target for CO2 reduction and particularly what a 40% reduction from 1990 levels (which many ecologically minded people are asking for) will actually mean in terms of lifestyle/economy changes in NZ. Nick Smith (National MP for climate change) is implying it would be pretty traumatic and unacheivable for the economy and we'd be better off aiming at something much lower. The second related question is about economic growth/recession issues. Governments around the world still seem committed to never ending economic growth despite recessions/obvious natural resource/pollution limits. What is the Green stance on it? Is it political suicide to tell people in NZ to consume less? Will new green deals help the environment or just be over-consumption with a green label? Are any attitudes changing in the economics world to recognise natural limits to growth?

June 2009 - Meeting. The topic for discussion was population control and environmental impact and what God thinks about filling the earth and whether it is in fact full now.

June 2009 - Meeting. As well as a catch up we started to work through some biblical discussions with a view to encouraging similar discussions to take place in our churches.

May 2009 - Pot luck dinner and Meeting. Kristel and Jo who work with A Rocha in Hamilton were here this weekend so the Sunday meeting was a good chance to hear what's happening in the rest of the country and talk about where we're going. The Christchurch core group also met with Kristel separately to talk more in depth about the direction of the group.

May 2009. Life together forum. A conversation about the challenges and opportunities of Christian community. Contributors include: Sam Chapman (Project Awhi, Auckland), Shane Claiborne (The Simple Way, Philadelphia), Murray Robertson (Spreydon Baptist, Christchurch), Wendy Hing-Mather (Servants, Wellington). (* Event not organised by A Rocha, but of possible interest to A Rocha supporters.)

May 2009. Bill McKibben lecture. McKibben is an active  member of the Methodist Church. His first book "The End of Nature"  proved hugely influential, putting climate change firmly at the top of the agenda for world leaders like Al Gore. More recently, McKibben founded 350.org. a rapidly growing global movement raising awareness about, and action on, climate change issues. 350 is the red line for human beings. Climate science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. The movement has just entered a new phase, preparing for massive actions around the world on October 24th 2009 in the lead up to what many have called the most important international negotiations ever - the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. website: www.billmckibben.com.  For more information on the 350 movement, visit the global website: www.350.org, and for an overview of 350 Aotearoa, the local website: www.350.org.nz (* Event not organised by A Rocha, but of possible interest to A Rocha supporters.)

May 2009 - Kennedys Bush. A stroll followed by morning tea at Addington coffee coop (opposite Addington Mall).

April 2009- Bill McKibben lecture. Internationally renowned author, and climate lobbyist Bill McKibben spoke at the University of Otago (Dunedin), in the  College of Education Auditorium.  (* Event not organised by A Rocha, but of possible interest to A Rocha supporters.)

March 27 to April 3,  2009- Walk for the Planet travelling through Canterbury. This walk was through the South Island during Lent and Mark Gibson helped organise this event.  The walk arrived in Christchurch on Saturday 28th March -  we wanted it to be a significant event as it coincided with Earth Hour in 2009. In Canterbury our major focus was water but with Earth Hour also Climate Change. There was the main walk from Templeton to Christchurch as well as walks from Christchurch East and Heathcote to join with the main group at Hagley Park and go to the Earth Hour in the square.  

Sunday 29th March 2009 - Meeting. Ani talked about her recently finished PhD looking at attitudes to the environment in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Wednesday 25 March 2009 - How different does Sustainable Business need to be for Business to be Sustainable? A presentation by Markus Milne, who is a Professor of Accounting, Finance and Information Systems at the University of Canterbury. Venue: Knox Church Lounge, Bealey Ave.

Feb 2009 - Catch up and discussion

Feb 2009 - Walk for the Planet orientation evening (see above). Venue: Knox Centre in Bealey Avenue.

Feb 2009 - Gathering for those interested in Walk for the Planet (see above). The aim: to begin building enthusiasm and commitment for the walk and sharing a little of the walk story.