Today Ōtepoti Extinction Rebellion activists successfully stopped coal reaching Fonterra’s Clandeboye factory.

“Today marks one year since we first stopped KiwiRail’s coal train at Dunedin Railway Station, highlighting their role in supporting Fonterra as New Zealand’s #1 Climate Criminal” said Jen Olsen from XR Ōtepoti.

KiwiRail carries around 500 tonnes of low grade thermal coal daily from Bathurst Resources’ Takitimu mine in Nightcaps to Fonterra’s Clandeboye factory near Temuka to be burned to dry milk for export. This energy intensive process not only burns coal, it wastes extraordinary amounts of wai maaori (freshwater).

“In that year XR folks have signed petitions, written letters and met with Government and industry officials to no avail.”

“We tried all avenues - but - in that year the government ignored us and worked with industry to preserve their power and profit margins. They adopted Fonterra’s timeline for stopping coal - 16 more years, which will take us past the “safe” 1.5 degrees of global warming. As long as Fonterra wants coal Bathurst will keep digging it up.

“In the past year the climate crisis has only gotten worse as the forests burned and communities flooded, killing many people. The Climate Emergency is Now. We cannot wait.

“And so now we’re directly stopping extractive industry in their tracks”.

Eight people were arrested including 80 year old Michael Fay, who commented: “Every hour we stop this train is another hour for my grandchildren’s future.”

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