Auckland Climate Festival moving digital during COVID-19 restrictions keeps climate action top of the agenda

The first ever Auckland Climate Festival (ACF21) will proceed from 12-31 October 2021, under all COVID-19 alert levels in Tāmaki Makaurau, organisers say.

Auckland Climate Festival will go ahead with a programme of virtual and COVID-safe initiatives planned, in the event another lock-down occurs during the festival, organisers have announced.

The festival format is designed to support in-person and virtual events to ensure that climate action can continue to be top of the agenda. Michelle Kennedy, ACF21’s founder, says in-person events are hard to beat, but she is confident that event partners will use this opportunity to reach new audiences and deliver an engaging programme of events that bring communities together for good, irrespective of the format.

“We know that this is possible having seen London Climate Action Week delivered under similar circumstances in 2020,” Kennedy says.

“Climate change is humanity’s greatest challenge, and we and our partners are firmly committed to ensuring it remains top of the agenda. We expect to see more disruptions in the face of a climate-changed world and it is an opportunity for us to employ creative solutions, enhance our resiliency and adapt.

Auckland Councillor Richard Hills, Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, agrees it’s a crucial time for climate action: “Aucklanders are demanding action like never before. Many of us are playing our part but it’s clear, especially to those in leadership positions, that we need to do more,” Hills says.

“It’s awesome to see the people of Tāmaki Makaurau coming together to address the biggest challenge facing us today, despite the continued impacts of COVID.”

Despite the recent COVID alert level changes, the festival organisers are seeing continued event registrations and interest in being involved. The programme will continue to be added to and updated throughout September as events details are finalised. For confirmed events see www.acf21.co.nz/events.

Auckland Climate Festival is made possible with the generosity and support from a range of founding partners including the festival’s Host City Partner, Auckland Unlimited, as well as the Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation, Foundation North, Waste Management, Vector, Auckland Council, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Britomart Group, MartinJenkins, No One Studio, Smash Delta, and Tonkin + Taylor.

ABOUT SIX GENERATIONS

Six Generations is an impact-driven enterprise established to drive meaningful and creative climate action.

The notion of thinking seven generations ahead when making decisions about how we shape society is not new. It has been the guiding principle of many cultures around the world for centuries. At Six Generations we deeply care about the future of the people and places of Aotearoa. We consider ourselves part of a generation of innovators, strategists and activators - everyday people with deep convictions to play our part in making change. We know the next decade is crucial for climate action and we are committed to doing what we can to ensure the six generations that come after us can have a prosperous future.

We are excited to be launching our first project, Auckland Climate Festival 2021, in October this year. Our desire is that this will be the first of many, leaving a lasting legacy for Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond.

Michelle Kennedy is the founder and visionary behind Auckland Climate Festival. The festival is inspired by and modelled off the highly successful London Climate Action Week, of which Michelle was the 2020 Interim Programme Lead before Covid brought her back to Aotearoa. She brings her expertise in strategic urban and transport planning, foresight and innovation and geography and environmental management into the curation of the festival.

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