Watch: Students gather across Tauranga for climate strike

More than 200 young people have turned up to Red Square with loads of signs and banners for the Tauranga CBD climate strike as a part of the School Strike 4 Climate global movement.

There are a number of speakers, including labour list MP and former Tauranga principal Jan Tinetti.

One of the speakers, waste advocate Leo Murray, said they were holding current leadership accountable, which drew chants and yells from the crowd.

A reporter at the scene said the children looked engaged.

A second gathering at Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka in Mount saw about 200 people turn up.

Speaker 17-year-old Zoe de Malmanche of Mount College spoke about the impact of social media on young people. She spoke passionately about the environment and how important it was for young people to not be afraid to be weird because she said it was the weird people who could make the biggest changes.

Hundreds attend Tauranga CBD climate strike.

Posted by Bay of Plenty Times on Thursday, 14 March 2019

Young people protesting in Mount Manganui. Photo / Andrew Warner

Thousands of students and pupils from Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty are joining rolling strikes from Invercargill in the south to Russell in the north throughout the day to urge elected leaders to take immediate action against climate change.

Students with banners are protesting in Red Square in Tauranga's CBD. Photo / Caroline Fleming

Two local events are taking place: One at Red Square in the Tauranga CBD and the second in Mount Maunganui at Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka (formerly Phoenix carpark).

This afternoon the Coalition Government said it was working on the final details of the climate change legislation that aims to make New Zealand carbon zero by 2050.

"This is ground-breaking legislation. No New Zealand Government has ever had to pass a law that over a 30 year timeframe seeks to stop climate pollution entering the atmosphere," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.

"It's technical and difficult legislation we are working hard to finalise. Once we lock down the remaining details we will be in a position to announce the timeframe for the Bill's introduction. I'm very keen to see it finalised and completed by the end of this year.

"We want to try and reach a consensus so that the legislation is lasting. It needs to endure for 30 years, not just the next three.

"In the meantime, we've set up an interim climate commission so we don't waste time starting work on issues like how we meet our goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2035.

"I want to acknowledge today's youth Climate Strike. I have said that climate change is my generation's nuclear free moment- for them it's literally their future. My message is simple, we hear you and we're getting on with setting a path for carbon neutrality. Please keep bringing as many people as you can with you, because we simply won't achieve our goals alone."