8 June 2023

Extinction Rebellion Tāmaki Makaurau endorses the Rally at Auckland Council Meeting organized by Stop The Cuts Coalition, in support of the councilors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s Budget. Rather than being the ‘Dim Wits’ as he calls them, they are rejecting the failed neoliberal economic system of running down community services, privatising public services and denying the climate crisis.

‘As ordinary citizens we are driven to take ongoing nonviolent actions’ says spokesperson Caril Cowan. ‘Decades of protest marches, delegations, lobbying petitions and more have not prevented this climate crisis. We are desperate for real action.’

With a minority of people voting and a smaller number voting for this Mayor, he does not have a mandate to continue this system which has failed our communities.

Extinction Rebellion Tāmaki Makaurau considers that Citizens Assemblies - as successfully used by Watercare – could have avoided this deeply disturbing situation. A representative selection of the community, being given information and carefully facilitated, would have made decisions that have wider community and family-based perspectives, rather than the narrow ‘balance the books’ and profits at all costs of the current economic system.

We are experiencing the effects of a 1.2 degree postindustrial temperature increase which have brought the January floods, Cyclone Gabrielle, other floods, plus fires and droughts. These are unprecedented but expected.

Without urgent action we are on track for 2.4 degrees. Current policies do not meet the Paris Agreement of less than 2 degrees, preferably 1.5 degrees.

This Budget is representative of the ongoing disregard for the safety of our communities.

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