Whanganui Climate Forum hosting speakers from around the world

Dr Billy van Uitregt says the event is about building solidarity and connecting with expertise.

The stars have aligned for this week’s “bespoke” climate forum in Whanganui, with speakers from across New Zealand and the world presenting at the three-day event.

Organiser Dr Billy van Uitregt said he was trying to capitalise on having international experts in town.

“I said ‘While you guys are here, you’ll absolutely have to give a presentation’,” van Uitregt said.

“It’s very bespoke, and that’s because there are a few kaupapa coming together in one. There is something for everybody.”

Guest speakers include Chris Kumeroa, who works at a national level on risk assessment and management, climate activist Mike Smith, Antarctic researcher Professor Tim Naish, and multi-disciplinary artist Cecilia Kumeroa.

Kumeroa and van Uitregt collaborated on her Pounga Wai - A Digital River project, a large-scale digital art installation of the Whanganui River.

He said Naish had researched a lot along the cliff lines between Whanganui and Taranaki.

“He is taking us on a hikoi and talking to us about what the cliffs tell us about climate change in the past.

“We also have Estelle Thompson, who is Paimiut Yup’ik - Alaskan indigenous.

“She will talk about how the landscape in the Arctic and just south of the Arctic has changed enormously and is predicted to change even more over the next couple of decades.”

Van Uitregt, senior lecturer in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University, will also give a short presentation.

Antarctic researcher Tim Naish.

Day one will feature a conference-style lineup of speakers at the Whanganui Racecourse, with a panel of marae representatives from across the region

That will be followed by a dinner at the same venue, featuring local chef Neihana Pari.

Van Uitregt said climate change was a huge topic with many different dimensions, so dealing with them all in a three-day event was impossible.

“We hope to get everybody together at the dinner to talk about the issues and the solutions.

“For young people, it can feel quite hopeless, and when you look at the data it looks quite hopeless. We need to steel ourselves and that’s the big intent of the forum.

“You have to recognise the doom and gloom but you also have to walk out of it with a sense of hope and agency.”

Day two was dedicated to marae preparedness - something that was needed locally, he said.

Naish’s hikoi will take place on the last day.

Van Uitregt said the event was about building solidarity and connecting with expertise.

“We aren’t going to solve it all right now and walk away happy.

“This time around there is a very local focus and I would love to see some spin-off events come out of it.

“It would be great to see other regions pick it up and run with their own versions of it.”

Climate Forum Whanganui runs from March 19 to March 21.

More information on Pounga Wai can be found on at kumeroa.com.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.