The Climate Action Festival is excited to bring you the Aotearoa New Zealand premiere of The New Peasants by Happen Films. The New Peasants is an intimate portrait of a family—Meg, Patrick, Zephyr, and Woody—who for two decades have chosen to step away from modern industrial culture to live a radically simple, sustainable, and intentional…

Join the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum and Lighthouse Aotearoa for a special screening of Future Council a new documentary film from director Damon Gameau (2040, That Sugar Film). We'll watch the film together and enjoy a Q&A with local young people from Lighthouse Aotearoa who have been involved in local climate action and advocacy. About…

Together, let's use reusable nappies to help reduce plastic waste and save money. Explore a range of “zero waste” nappies by joining Little Green Steps during one of their monthly gatherings. This is an opportunity to try on more than 50 different nappies and get advice on nappy fitting and washing from experienced parents. Little…

Join us for this popular interactive hands-on workshop where you'll learn how to plan, build, and maintain a compost heap.  Organic nursery operator Rex Hunt will demonstrate how you can make your own compost in a short period of time. He takes a science-based approach and will explain the difference between a hot compost (short…

Join the dynamic Motueka Repair Cafe at the Motueka Library (Te Noninga Kumu), and have a cuppa while you learn how to repair your stuff. We’ve assembled a team to deal with repairs to clothes, cushions, kitchen appliances, small furnishings, toys, and to sharpen knives. To stay updated about the latest news (and repairs), follow…

Get your hands dirty with the fun and passionate Community Compost Club during the Climate Action Festival and every Saturday morning. This is an ongoing working session that takes place throughout the year. No prior registration required. The compost club is located at the Waimarama Community Gardens (Tantragree Rd, The Brook). If you’ve got any…

Repairing items saves resources and money. Come along to Nelson's monthly Repair Cafe to have one of your household items mended. You can bring items for smaller repairs – including electrical items (no large appliances please), clothing and textiles, small furniture, household items, bicycles, and toys. One item will be accepted per household, although if it’s not…

This is a day of connection and cultivation at the Golden Bay Sustainability Centre. Come and hear experts present about how food resilience looks and could be improved in the Top of the South. Prepare for uncertain times, so that when natural disasters occur, people across Nelson-Tasman still have access to quality food. Let's explore…

Join Kevin Fourie, host of the HeapsMOREnergy Program on Fresh FM, for a 1-hour in-depth presentation on how to maximize Solar Power generation with Catchpower technology to reduce ‘grid dependency’, and lower home energy carbon footprint consumption. He will share his personal “Energy Efficiency” (EE) journey, and demonstrate how to “Measure – Monitor – Manage” (M3). Attendees…

What is it like to spend a night in a coal bucket, and why do people do it?  Find out about direct action against extractive industries in this evening of short films and group discussion, hosted by Blockade Cinema for the Climate Action Festival.  You’ll see new film footage of the Denniston Plateau protests alongside…

  This event is part of Climate Action Festival 2025. See the full program here.  

When most people think of Abel Tasman, they picture golden beaches and turquoise seas. But high on Takaka Hill lies Canaan - a hidden world of beech forest, tussock clearings, marble outcrops, and secret streams, alive with birds, plants, and insects. Join us at Canaan Campground for the Abel Tasman Bioblitz - a family-friendly day…

Do you sometimes imagine yourself commuting to work or getting around town by bicycle instead of by car, but just can’t find the time or opportunity to try out an e-bike? Well, here’s your chance! Come and try out a range of e-bike brands on the smooth tarmac of the Richmond Velodrome. Nelson e-bike maker…

THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED Nelson's car dealers are coming together to offer you a preview of their best EV models and answer all your questions. There will be EV enthusiasts and businesses who have purchased EV fleet vehicles, as well as solar installers and home charging installers to help complete your setup. This is your…

Textile ResQ volunteers will share tips and tricks on how you can mend and upcycle clothes and bring them back to life. They will be giving demonstrations and hands-on instruction at the Hospice Op Shops in Stoke and Nelson throughout the day on Sunday 19 October. Textile ResQ volunteers are skilled in a variety of…

Discover the art of nutritious and sustainable eating in this hands-on workshop. This experience is designed for anyone who is dreaming of a more self-sufficient lifestyle and wants to improve their cooking skills and routine using more local, seasonal ingredients, or someone simply wanting to feel more inspired and creative in the kitchen.  After a…

Join us at Fairfield House (48 Van Diemen Street, Nelson South) for an evening of cultural exploration, future probing and feasting with an eye towards the joyful and regenerative future we can create together. Allow yourself to be led through a history of commons (rights of access to land and associated resources), their enclosure, and…

This winter’s extreme conditions, which are likely to recur, highlight two options for adaptation: keep building dikes and rebuilding as before, or change course by learning from nature and adapting to the rhythms of our rivers. Environmental scientist and resource management expert Tom Kay will present evidence about how environmental management has exacerbated the risks…

Come and find inspiration, information, and examples of how to live a more resilient, resourceful, and regenerative life. Discover how permaculture ethics and principles can help to protect and provide for a more sustainable future. Meet a like-minded community of people who also hope for a safe, abundant, and happy life but may be unsure…

Join the team in the Victory Community Garden for a working bee and afternoon tea to celebrate the Climate Action Festival. Come along to hear about our newly developed vision for the garden that supports people to garden together. See our community compost system in use or help tend our garden beds. Then enjoy some homemade and locally produced refreshments with others in the relaxed surroundings of the mārakai.

Weaving Worlds through the Spirit of the Commons: Perspectives from te ao Māori and European worlds Join us at the Motueka Library for an exploration of the history of commons, their enclosure and the potential to re-animate the ethos of the commons to create a more equitable, regenerative future for Aotearoa New Zealand. This discussion…

This tour, organised by the Mohua 2042 Trust, will visit renewable energy sites in Golden Bay, showcasing farm-sized renewable installations spanning several hectares of solar panels, through to individual home-based systems. Attendees will travel together by bus to the various sites with commentary from a local renewable energy expert as they move between the sites. …

Get your hands wet, cleaning buckets used for weekly compost collection, with the fun and passionate Community Compost Club. This is an ongoing weekly session that takes place throughout the year. The Tuesday 'washing up party' is a fun and social space, and all ages and abilities are welcome to join.  We'll meet at “The…

The Work that Reconnects and Deep Ecology invite you to a "Truth, Love, Despair, Rage" online circle, where we'll make room for the internal experience of climate breakdown: the grief, rage, fear, love, hope, confusion...and all the feels that we don't know where to put. If you're tired of pretending that all this is ok, this one's…

Grab your favourite climate, nature, or conservation-themed board game or just come along and join others for a night of friendly fun at The Vic Public House (281 Trafalgar St. Nelson). We’ll bring Daybreak and CO₂ to kick things off, and you’re welcome to bring your own. Plus, enjoy a 10% discount on food and drinks…

Join the Motueka Community Film Circle for a screening of The Eternal Song, a documentary about the healing power of Indigenous cultures around the world. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples lived in deep connection with the earth, while stewarding ancestral land and wisdom. Narratives of colonialism, capitalism and individualism have fostered a modern mindset…

Bike, walk, run, scooter, roller blade, bus or go EV to work, school or just a daily outing on Thursday, 23rd October and join us between 7.30am to 9am at 1903 Square (Opposite the Cathedral Steps) to celebrate the launch of Swap One and Travel Friendly, the Nelson Tasman initiative to encourage people in our region to swap one high-carbon commute each week for a…

Due to the planned teacher strike day, this event will be rescheduled. Please register your interest to Prashanti (Prashanti@gardentotable.org.nz) if you'd like to be kept updated.     Come visit the Garden to Table programme in action at Birchwood School in Stoke. Schools, Early Childhood Education providers and community are invited to learn more about…

The Take The Jump Catchup in the Park has been cancelled due to the weather forecast. "Planning the Future of Nelson Tasman Together" is still on Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows nearby from 6.30pm to 8pm Thursday evening, where you can take part in a workshop about how our region will adapt to climate change. Come along to…

This event has been cancelled due to severe weather conditions and a local emergency affecting Christchurch and the Canterbury region. These disruptions have resulted in the cancellation of Sean’s flights, making it impossible for him to attend. We'll show you how Ekos BioCredita and Ekos Forever Forests can strengthen your ESG reporting, reduce compliance risk,…

Are you worried about sea level rise, flooding, earthquakes, and bushfires? Do you wonder what Nelson City Council is doing about these increasing risks? Do you want to explore how climate change will affect where you live and what you and your community could do? Nelson Tasman Climate Forum and Te Tauihu Community Development Agency…

Battle for the Banded Rail is a project working with local communities to increase the number of banded rail and other estuarine birds on the margins of the Waimea Inlet by restoring habitat and trapping predators. Together, let’s give some TLC to the plants planted in winter. We will meet at Moreland Place Reserve in…

Native plant restoration is climate action. Hope school, in collaboration with Tasman Enviroschools, the Tasman Bay Guardians and the Roding Catchment group are growing native plants to revegetate the riparian zone along the Aniseed river. Vegetated riparian zones help to filter out toxins and sediment from rainfall events, while creating habitat for native ecosystems to…

In a split vote in July, Nelson City Council adopted  science-based climate targets of 8.3% annual decrease for long-lived gases, and 1.55% decrease for methane. Voices around the table said it couldn't be done, which created a challenge that was picked up by five members of  the Climate Forum. With detailed  calculations, they've explored one…

Come and chat with community members who've electrified their homes, businesses and transport. Learn how you can too – saving money and emissions. In this Electrify Everything discussion event you'll meet others in your community who've made their lives more fossil fuel free.  When we come together and share knowledge, we all learn and get…

Take a bicycle tour of public orchards and a delightful private backyard garden project in central Nelson. John-Paul Pochin (Urban Farmers), Kelli Campbell, and Rachael Curson (Whakatū Food Sovereignty Project) will be your guides, describing food harvesting opportunities on public land as well as learning how to turn your garden into a food-growing paradise. Kelli…

This is a workshop for those who would like to deepen their appreciation of the natural world with a pencil in hand. Nature Journaling is the practice of observing nature, and recording these impressions in a journal. No need to be a skilled artist for this! The course is open to people of all artistic…

Join Kevin Fourie, host of the HeapsMOREnergy Program on Fresh FM, for a 1-hour in-depth presentation on how to maximize Solar Power generation with Catchpower technology to reduce 'grid dependency', and lower home energy carbon footprint consumption. He will share his personal “Energy Efficiency” (EE) journey, and demonstrate how to “Measure – Monitor – Manage” (M3).…

Welcome to an eight-year revegetation project in the Moutere Valley. Since 2017 Philip and Jenny Leith have been revegetating gullies on their farm, extending and creating new wetlands as well as establishing biodiverse habitats. In 2025 they decided to link two gullies by planting a podocarp forest to create an extended habitat and to act…