Nelson Tasman Climate Forum

Potting up Party (for schools only) - Hope
2025-10-24 09:00 - 15:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Hope School
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 thrive.
This event is for Primary school students to learn about and participate in potting up native plants for conservation. Students will learn about different kinds of native plants and their niche in the native ecosystem.
This is a closed event; however, Hope School will be opening its doors to visiting school groups on the day.
Please contact Prashanti.Lovegrove@tasman.govt if you have a school group interested in attending this event.

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

ONLINE - We can meet Nelson Tasman's emissions targets!
2025-10-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
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 pathway to illustrate that it can be done, with an integrated suite of actions accompanied by strong engagement of Nelson citizens.
Speakers in this webinar will be several of the team members (Lindsay Wood, Peter Olorenshaw, Jim Sinner, David Ayre, Joanna Santa Barbara). Bring your questions!
Register here.

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

Electrify Everything - Come and have a chat - Stoke
2025-10-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Greenmeadows community centre, Cnr Main Road and Songer Street, Stoke, Nelson, 7011, New Zealand
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 more powerful.
How electric are our homes really?
Our lights, dishwashers and ovens are mostly electric, but lots of households burn fossil fuels for water heating, space heating, driving, working outdoors and cooking.
When we electrify everything in our home, we replace some or all of these fossil fuel machines, over time, with much more efficient electric equivalents. Come and talk with local community members who have chosen to use more electric machines in their lives, saving money and emissions, future proofing their homes and businesses.
Find out more at https://www.rewiring.nz/communities/nelson
Register here.

Organiser: Electrify Nelson; member of Rewiring Aotearoa

Nature Journaling Workshop - Lower Moutere
2025-10-25 10:00 - 12:00 | Riverside Community and Cultural centre, 289 Main Road, Lower Moutere, Tasman
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 levels and will focus on the connections and joy we can experience when we hone our skills of quiet observation and artistic expression.
The workshop will start with a small welcome game outside and then move inside for some journaling games and warm-up activities.
Everyone will head outside and have a quiet time journaling and then come back together to share.
It is recommended children under the age of 10 years old have a guardian to help them.
The course will be led/facilitated by Jolie Simpson, who oversees the Farm to Table programme at the Motueka Steiner School. For many years, Jolie has used journaling in her teaching as a way to help children connect more deeply with their learning and to capture the beauty of outdoor experiences in a personal and meaningful way.
Participants will receive a notebook and pencil to use for the session and to take home.
Cost of event: $15 for adults, $10 for children
Location: Riverside Hall, 289 Main Road Lower Moutere, Motueka
Number of attendees is limited, so please register here.

Edible Bicycle Tour - Stoke & Nelson
2025-10-25 10:00 - 15:00 | Start at Ranui Park, 27, Ranui Road, Stoke, 7011
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 will also outline a fruit tree mapping project that will draw on reports from local volunteers.
This is a hop on-hop off tour, in which attendees are welcome to join for a part of the journey.
The edible bicycle tour will begin at 10am at Ranui Park with a 45-minute introduction and finish with a picnic at Branford Park at around 1pm. Stops will include Victory Community Garden, various public fruit trees and orchards and a private garden. Specific details of the tour will be sent to registrants before the event.
Registration (here) is recommended so organisers can update attendees on the route and postponement in the case of inclement weather.

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

Solar on Steroids - Maximize Solar Energy Potential - Motueka
2025-10-25 10:30 - 11:30 | Motueka Library, 32 Wallace street, Motueka, 7120
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 will be able to see in real-time how effective this has been for him over 5-years with his SolarZero BESS system.
The seminar will be held twice: On Saturday 18th at Nelson Library (11.15 to 12.30pm) and on Saturday 25th at the Motueka Library (10.30 to 11.30am).
Register here.

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

Growing a Forest - Come and get inspired - Moutere Valley
2025-10-25 14:00 - 16:30 | Moutere Valley
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 as a seed source for the 20 or more gullies already planted on their farm.
They invite you to share their vision for why they undertook this work and how restoring our wetlands and land helps regenerate biodiversity and the climate, as well as their practical experience, to inspire you and begin your own land restoration journey.
The visit will take you walking up Moore Road, which is also known as ‘Weka Walk’, where the group will view plantings at various stages of establishment.
Alongside planting and maintenance of the wetland and forest habitat, Philip and Jenny are undertaking extensive predator trapping. Currently capturing at least 10 predators every week. Regularly, they host school groups and students from Whenua Iti Outdoors for experiential learning.
They open their place with pleasure, but would greatly appreciate your registration here. Some practical information, as well as the precise address, will be sent to you a few days before the scheduled tour.

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

NTCF Annual Hui
2025-11-29 09:00 - 11:30 | Victory Community Center, 2 Totara Street,Nelson,7010,New Zealand, Nelson, 7010, New Zealand
Join us on 29th of November to hear about the Forums activities over the last year before planning our strategy for the year ahead, and selecting our representatives for the Leadership group.
Please register here if you plan to be there, so we have an idea of the numbers.
This morning of connection going from 9 to 11.30am will be folllowed by a Sustainable Gift and Craft fair organised by the Take the Jump team in partnership with the Nelson Environment Centre.

Sustainable Gift and Craft Fair
2025-11-29 11:30 - 15:30 | Victory Community Center, 2 Totara Street,Nelson,7010,New Zealand, Nelson, 7010, New Zealand

Webinar: COP 30 Debrief with NCC's Daniela Ramirez
2026-03-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Find out what it is like to attend a global climate change conference with NCC’s senior climate change advisor, Daniela Ramirez, who attended the COP 30 event in Belém, Brazil last year.
Find out about how New Zealand is perceived on the world stage, learn about Daniela’s impression of how fossil fuel and the nuclear lobby groups shape the conversations and hear Daniela’s “Nelson List” of learnings to share with her home town.
Bring your questions!
Register here: COP 30 Debrief webinar

Isel Park Social!
2026-03-05 17:00 - 19:00 | Isel Park Market
We welcome our Take the Jump and climate action community to gather at the Isel Park Twilight Market for a catch up where we’ll celebrate our Love to Ride efforts.
NCC’s senior climate change advisor Daniela Ramirez will be present to share about her experience at the COP 30 last year.
Food can be purchased at food trucks on site.

Original Banner Workshop
2026-03-08 10:00 - 14:00 | Magenta Creative, 15 Selwyn Pl,, Nelson
Amplify your voice and make a sign or banner with an environmental message close to your heart. We will be cutting, stitching, sewing and printing letters onto sturdy material to hang on our fences and in our windows.
This event is inspired by the “Be A Good Ancestor” banner made and displayed by Jenny Easton (who will be present) and you’re welcome to use these words for your own design, or come up with your own. Experienced banner makers will be present to help out.
This is a non-partisan exercise and may become a monthly meeting, depending on interest. All are welcome.
Please let us know if you have fabric and textile supplies that you’d like to contribute.

The environment in election year: opportunities and threats
2026-03-11 19:30 | Tahunanui School, 69 Muritai Street, Nelson
The (very short) Annual General Meeting, at 6.45pm, will be followed by our usual meeting, at 7.30pm, with speaker, Raewyn Peart, Policy Director at the Environmental Defence Society (EDS). Her topic will be – “The environment in election year: opportunities and threats”.
EDS seeks to protect and restore Aotearoa New Zealand’s outstanding landscapes, freshwater systems, oceans and indigenous biodiversity. They do this through holding business and government to account, strengthening the law when it is found wanting, and supporting good environmental management practice.
Raewyn heads EDS’s environmental policy work. She has over 30 years professional experience in environmental law and policy, having worked as a resource management lawyer and policy adviser to business, government and the not-for-profit sector. Raewyn has published widely on coastal, marine and other environmental issues. In 2023, Raewyn was awarded the prestigious RMLA Outstanding Person Award.
All are welcome to join us. Tea and coffee will be available before the meeting. More info on this page: AGM & Monthly Meeting: Raewyn Peart, Environmental Defence Society | Forest and Bird

Permaculture Hui in Nelson this year!
2026-04-10 14:00 - 2026-04-13 12:00 | Whakatu Marae and Founders Heritage Park
The annual hui is a vibrant showcase of permaculture in Aotearoa, shaped each year by the unique character of the host bioregion.
Organised collaboratively by the hui team and the PiNZ Council, each gathering reflects a diversity of permaculture practice, sparks timely and meaningful conversations, and strengthens the networks that support our growing community across Aotearoa.
The hui offers an inspiring and enriching experience for all participants—introducing permaculture principles and concepts, fostering connection, and welcoming newcomers into the community. It’s a valuable opportunity to build relationships with aligned individuals, groups, and networks, and to contribute to positive change within our society.
More information and registration here: The Yearly Hui

Permaculture tours in Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay
2026-04-13 14:00 - 2026-04-16 10:00
Guided Tours of Permaculture Properties in Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay an addition to the National Permaculture Hui 2026
We will be visiting many exemplary selected homesteading properties which demonstrate a diversity of features showcasing permaculture principles in action – including water management systems, food forests, integrated animal systems, super-productive organic gardens and cosy aesthetic homes constructed with ecological building materials. A special feature of this tour is the underpinning of social permaculture, prevalent in our visits to intentional land-based communities, when this aspect will be spoken about by residents.
More information and registration here: Permaculture Tours – PC Hui 2026

Collaboration Game and Community Resilience Workshop in Golden Bay
2026-04-19 10:00 - 16:30
Tanya Mottl from FutuResilience Events is visiting Golden Bay from Oz and has generously offered to run the Collaboration Game here in Takaka.
This is a unique opportunity to explore greater community connection and resilience in a really fun, interactive way. Tanya has fabulous feedback from other events she has run – so this is not to be missed!
More info and registration HERE.

WEBINAR - Fuel, Physics, and What Comes Next, with Nathan Surendran
2026-04-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Online (Zoom)
Join the discussion on Zoom by registering here.
Nathan is an energy engineer and Chair of the Wise Response Society who has been writing extensively about the current energy crisis and its implications (see below)
NZ will probably hit its climate targets. Not because of good policy, but because the economy is being forced into contraction by an energy crisis that mainstream institutions didn’t see coming – or chose not to. Nathan Surendran connects the immediate fuel emergency to the biophysical economics that conventional policy ignores: declining energy returns, thermodynamic constraints on transition, and a coming wave of insolvency and default that may cause more damage than fuel shortages themselves. He presents practical tools for community resilience, from mutual aid frameworks to fair rationing mechanisms, and argues that the response must start at the community level because government is not going to lead it.
OUTLINE: Be Prepared for a Lively Discussion
1. The good news on climate (that nobody wants to hear)
NZ is likely to meet its climate targets. Not because of policy. Because the economy is falling off a cliff. Energy price-driven demand destruction is cutting emissions faster than any government programme. Diesel above $4/litre, petrol not far behind. Businesses are closing, freight is contracting, discretionary travel has collapsed. When you can’t afford to burn fuel, you don’t burn fuel. Emissions fall. This is the climate trajectory nobody modelled – involuntary degrowth driven by energy supply disruption and price shock.
2. Why this is happening – the energy supply picture
The Strait of Hormuz closure and the wider Middle East conflict have taken out a significant share of global crude and LNG supply. NZ imports 100% of its refined fuel. 81% comes from refineries processing Middle Eastern crude. We have roughly 18 days of diesel physically onshore. The government’s fuel plan has no volumetric allocations. Force Majeure declarations have cascaded across every link in our supply chain. I’ve been tracking this in detail:
– “The Limits to the Energy Transition” (white paper): https://energyandresilience.substack.com/p/the-limits-to-the-energy-transition
– “Hoping the Ship Arrives Isn’t a Strategy”: https://energyandresilience.substack.com/p/hoping-the-ship-arrives-isnt-a-strategy
– “Every Country in Our Supply Chain Has Declared an Emergency”: https://energyandresilience.substack.com/p/every-country-in-our-supply-chain
3. The default tsunami – the crisis before the shortage
Everyone is watching fuel gauges. But the more immediate shock may be financial. NZ insolvencies were at a 15-year high before Hormuz. Mortgage arrears at an 8-year peak. IRD tax debt past $9 billion. Household debt at 165-170% of disposable income. There was no buffer. When diesel costs flow through to freight, food, fertiliser, and farm input costs, the wave of business failures and mortgage defaults will hit before physical fuel shortages do. I’m publishing a piece on this shortly – “The Default Tsunami” – arguing we’re watching the wrong metric.
4. The deeper structure – biophysical economics
This isn’t a one-off geopolitical shock. It’s the predictable consequence of building a civilisation on a depleting energy resource. EROI decline means we spend more energy to get energy. The economy is an energy system using money, not a financial system using energy. The “seamless transition” narrative assumes the global supply chains, fossil fuel inputs, and critical minerals needed for transition will keep flowing. They are not flowing. Drawing on Hall, Keen, Smil, Hagens, Garrett, Delannoy.
– White paper covers this in depth: https://energyandresilience.substack.com/p/the-limits-to-the-energy-transition
5. What we can do – community resilience and policy
– Wise Response open letter: quantified essential use fuel allocation plan (with Mike Hodgkinson, Laloli Research)
– Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs) as fair rationing: https://wiseresponse.substack.com (TEQs article)
– “When the Trucks Stop” mutual aid guide https://open.substack.com/pub/wiseresponse/p/what-can-i-do-in-response-to-the
– “No Fuel, Still Fed” https://energyandresilience.substack.com/p/no-fuel-still-fed regional food security framework
– Local action: council deputations, community preparedness networks
– Demand reduction, negawatts, fuel-free pathways
This webinar is organised by Our Climate Declaration
and co-sponsored by:
Degrowth Aotearoa New Zealand
The Wise Response Society
Engineers for Social Responsibility
The Nelson Tasman Climate Forum

Mōhua Golden Bay Resilience Expo
2026-05-02 09:00 - 2026-05-03 16:00 | Rec Park center, 2032 Takaka Valley Hwy, Takaka, New Zealand
Golden Bay locals – this is one you don’t want to miss!
We’re bringing the whole community together for a weekend focused on
**getting prepared, staying safe, and having a great time doing it**.
Events are happening on both Saturday and Sunday, with the Sunday being the big one! A full day of **information, hands-on learning, and community connection**.
More info here or here.

Public talk - Evolution in Democracy
2026-08-05 17:30 - 19:00 | Greenmeadows community centre, Cnr Main Road and Songer Street, Stoke, Nelson, 7011, New Zealand
The fuel crisis? Amalgamation? Climate change? Urban intensification?
We face lots of gnarly issues that affect us all and seriously challenge our political system. Fresh techniques in deliberative democracy can empower citizens to reach robust decisions, helping elected representatives progress the most contentious matters.
Learn from experts how techniques like citizens’ assemblies can turn ordinary folk into highly informed citizens, how online tools can allow thousands to participate, and where such methods have led to successful and surprisingly strong decisions, both locally and overseas.
Free/koha. Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/next-evolution-in-democracy
Anne Bardsley Ph.D. MNZM and Kristiann Allen Ph.D., of the University of Auckland Complex Conversations Lab, will speak from experience about reaching good decisions on big issues.

Making a trusted democracy: How can deliberative democracy help?
2026-08-26 19:00 - 20:30
Simon Wright, Chair of Trust Democracy will present Making a Trusted Democracy: How Can Deliberative Democracy Help? Simon will explore the role that deliberative democracy can play in strengthening trust, participation, and confidence in our democratic institutions.

More information about Simon Wright’s work and about the webinar here.
