Showcase Brings Together Ōtautahi Climate Action Experts

Christchurch City Council and University of Canterbury (UC) are proud to present a showcase of research and action towards addressing the climate emergency and creating a more sustainable future.

Tītohu Tūroa|Sustainability Showcase will take place on Friday 28 October at UC’s Ilam Campus Engineering Core to share how research combined with work by local organisations is creating a better future for the communities of Ōtautahi Christchurch and beyond.

The free event gives people the opportunity to hear from top speakers driving sustainability outcomes locally and nationally, including Chair of the Climate Change Commission Dr Rod Carr, Pou Whakarae Ngāi Tahu Centre Professor Te Maire Tau, Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns, leading academics, Christchurch City Council staff, postgraduate students and business leaders.

“Tītohu Tūroa|Sustainability Showcase celebrates the strong partnership between the Council and the University and is an opportunity to showcase the initiatives we are driving together,” says Christchurch City Council Assistant Chief Executive Lynn McClelland.

“The Council has set a target to halve emissions by 2030, compared with 2016-17 levels, and achieve carbon net zero emissions by 2045. I encourage anyone interested in what the future of Ōtautahi Christchurch could look like, from its transport systems to urban forest, to come and hear from experts about the how and the why.”

UC Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sustainability Professor Jan Evans-Freeman says “the mix of speakers from academic, planning and business backgrounds will discuss urgent sustainability challenges such as reducing carbon emissions, equitable access to energy, te ao Māori and Pasifika perspectives and how young people can better participate in sustainability conversations”.

“We have speakers from diverse fields of expertise, who are leaders in their fields. Postgraduate students will also be on-hand to talk through exciting new research that is pushing boundaries. Come and be inspired and informed about the local contribution to climate change action, both through research and in practice.”

Tītohu Tūroa|Sustainability Showcase is on 28 October, 9.15am to 5pm, at the Engineering Core, UC Ilam Campus. Places are limited so please register for your free ticket to join as many sessions as you would like here. The event will also be livestreamed.

Guest speakers include:

· Dr Rod Carr, Chairperson, Climate Change Commission, on 'Carbon Rush: Can Canterbury cash in on the changing Climate?

· Professor Te Maire Tau, Pou Whakarae, Ngāi Tahu Centre, on 'Whakaora te Awa | River Restoration'

· Malcolm Johns, Chief Executive, Christchurch International Airport Ltd, on ‘Carbon, Ambition & Reality’

Presentations include:

· Professor Simon Kingham, UC School of Earth & Environment and Chief Science Advisor for the Ministry of Transport and Lynette Ellis, Head of Transport and Waste, Christchurch City Council on 'Changing travel in Ōtautahi Christchurch: how, what and why’

· Professor Bronwyn Hayward (MNZM), UC Department of Political Science and International Relations, and Director of The Sustainable Citizenship and Civic Imagination Research Group and Jane Morgan, Team Leader Coastal Hazards Adaptation Planning on 'The climate crisis: Challenges for cities and opportunities for community participation, a focus on children and young people’

· Associate Professor Justin Morgenroth, UCSchool of Forestry and Andrew Rutledge, Head of Parks, Christchurch City Council on 'Urban forests: critical for a sustainable city'

· Dr Christina Laalaai-Tausa, Dr Dalila Gharbaoui & Dr Suli Vunibola, UC Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, on 'Re-imagining climate crisis, resilience, and Pacific Indigenous Knowledge'

· Distinguished Professor David Schiel, UC School of Biological Sciences, on 'Through the ordinary and extraordinary, are we loving our ocean resources to death?'

· Associate Professor Sacha McMeeking, UC Executive Director Māori, Pacific and Equity, on 'Understanding the SDGs in the context of global and local wellbeing frameworks – He Ara Wairoa as a possible guide'

· Associate Professor Joya Kemper, UC Business School, on 'Transitioning to a sustainable, healthy and inclusive food system'

· Hamish Avery, Director, UC Electric Power Engineering Centre and Sheralee MacDonald, Innovation Facilitator from Orion, on 'Equitable Energy Transition for Christchurch'

· Professor Aaron Marshall, UC Department of Chemical & Process Engineering, and representatives from Zincovery, on 'Opportunities and challenges of sustainable zinc recycling'

· Professor Matt Watson, UC Department of Chemical & Process Engineering, Associate Professor Allan Scott, UC Department of Civil & Natural Resources Engineering, and Megan Danczyk from Aspiring Materials, on 'Building a Low Carbon Future'

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