Six Generations has announced the dates of the first ever Auckland Climate Festival, an open platform created to celebrate and accelerate climate action to take place from 12 - 31 October 2021.
A new climate action social enterprise dubbed Six Generations has announced its flagship event, Auckland Climate Festival (ACF21), will take place in Tāmaki Makaurau from 12 - 31 October 2021. Six Generations founder Michelle Kennedy says how we act on climate change now will determine the outcomes not only for our children and our grandchildren, but for us as well.
“Our lifetimes will be defined by whether we choose to step up to the challenge to transform the future of humanity or destabilise the entire planet. Doing nothing is not an option,” Kennedy says.
The Auckland festival is an open platform for communities, the private sector, government, youth and Māori to come together as a whole-of-society response to the climate emergency.
Auckland Climate Festival was created to bring these actors and organisations together to enhance collaboration, harness collective energy and build climate action at an individual and societal level.
Six Generations is working with stakeholders throughout Auckland to establish a diverse programme of events that will take place throughout the three-week period. Events already announced include the Climate Change and Business Conference, KangaNews-Westpac New Zealand Sustainable Finance Summit, Vector Lights in partnership with Auckland Council, a panel discussion hosted by Warren and Mahoney in partnership with Cosgroves, and workshops hosted by the Recreators and Climate Collage. Event registration is still open and those interested in organising an event can find out more here:
Six Generations are expecting Aucklanders across the region to engage in climate action offered through a range of events, initiatives and activations that make up the festival programme, Kennedy says.
“Auckland is a global city where its citizens are connected through heritage and experience with many different cultures and other geographies and strong ties, particularly to the Asia Pacific. Auckland Climate Festival aspires to combine local and global perspectives to deliver impact and outcomes that are felt beyond Auckland, as it evolves over the coming years.”
Auckland Climate Festival is made possible with the generosity and support from a range of founding partners including the 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.
More events will be announced on 1 September.
Published 6 August 2021