Forest & Bird invites you to join Chief Executive Nicola Toki and the team, as well as supporters from other environmental groups across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, to March for Nature down Queen Street on Saturday 8 June in a peaceful protest against the coalition Government’s war on nature.
Date | Saturday 8 June 2024
Time | Assembling from 11.45am. March begins at 1pm.
Location | Aotea Square, Queen Street, Auckland CBD
Final details for the day – let's make a difference together!
To make sure the event goes smoothly we have a few housekeeping tips.
Postponement/cancellation: Any change to the date or time for the March for Nature will be shared on the Facebook event and Forest & Bird’s Facebook page.
Meeting place: If you are marching with Forest & Bird, we will be meeting on the stairs between the Auckland Town Hall and Aotea Square between 11.45am and 12.30pm.
Wear: Dress for the weather on the day. If you have a green t-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, hat, or Forest & Bird branded clothing, please wear it, as we’d love to create a bold block of green as we move together in solidarity down Queen Street.
Bring: A water bottle and snacks. If you arrive early, there are also plenty of nearby cafés where you can grab a coffee and something to eat.
Posters: We will have banners, placards and posters to carry, but there will not be enough for everyone. We can always do with more to create a unified message, so if you would like to print your own poster to bring with you, please find our printable resources here.
Agenda: The march officially starts with speeches at 1pm – including our very own chief executive Nicola Toki – and finishes in Britomart Place at approximately 3pm.
Transport and parking: We recommend you travel into town using public transport. If you are travelling by car, please be aware the roads into central Auckland will be congested and some roads will be closed prior and during the event. Parking along Queen Street and some adjacent streets will also be restricted before and during the event. Please check the AT website for more details closer to the day. Paid parking, while limited, is available nearby.
Health and safety: There are first aiders (wearing hi-vis vests) with us for any emergencies, as well as a St John and NZ Police presence. The march also includes official marshals wearing hi-vis vests. They will be ensuring the march proceeds safely and everyone feels supported. In an emergency, please remain calm and follow the instructions of our marshals and/or the police.
Can you help? We need more first aiders and marshals. If you can help out by volunteering your time as a first aider or marshal, please email Charlie Lake.
If you are unwell on the day, please stay home to prevent passing on winter germs.
Why we are marching
Forest & Bird, Greenpeace Aotearoa, Communities Against Fast Track (CAFT), Coromandel Watchdog, WWF-New Zealand, and Kiwis Against Seabed Mining are marching against the Fast-track Approvals Bill, the centrepiece of the Government's War on Nature.
This bill is anti-democratic, anti-nature and will put Aotearoa on a fast track to environmental destruction. It is an attack on environmental protections critical to preserving freshwater, forests, oceans, and wildlife.
So, we will be marching for the trees and the birds and freshwater and the oceans – and because you cannot separate Kiwis from nature, it is part of our DNA.
The bill concentrates power in the hands of three Ministers and allows them to run roughshod over the few environmental protections we have in place for our threatened wildlife and landscapes; ignoring the concerns of local communities and tangata whenua; and rubber-stamping projects such as:
- Coal mining on public conservation land
- New oil and gas exploration
- Seabed mining
- Dams that flood forests
- Fish farms in already compromised oceans, and much, much more…
If you can’t join us on the day, you can still support our campaign by:
- telling friends and whānau in Auckland about the march and sharing the March for Nature event on Facebook.
- signing our petition demanding the Government release a list of the environmentally damaging projects it wants to approve under its proposed Fast-track Approvals Bill.
- encouraging your friends to become a Forest & Bird member.
- donating to help support Forest & Bird’s mahi.