Our Commitment on Ngā Mahi Āhuarangi/Climate Action
Ki te kotahi te kākaho, ka whati; ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati.
If a reed stands alone, it can be broken; if it is in a group, it cannot.
When we stand alone we are vulnerable, but together we are unbreakable.
- Kingi Pōtatau Te Wherowhero Tāwhiao
Community Trust South, along with other Community Trusts of Aotearoa New Zealand and other funders, recognise that the growing climate emergency is a grave risk to our communities and planet. The scale of the climate threat and solutions needed reflect this critical issue facing every community. Community funders, whose assets are held for the public good, play an important role. The way we invest and partner with communities to support a just transition to a low carbon society, with increased equity, climate resilient communities and better outcomes for our environment is a critical responsibility.
We aim to accelerate effective responses to climate change to ensure that everyone has access to opportunities arising from the transition to a low carbon economy.
We recognise the costs and impacts of the shift to a low carbon society may be unfairly borne by already vulnerable communities.
Guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including values of kaitiakitanga and kotahitanga, we will apply an inter-generational mindset to how we commit our resources. We will identify and prioritise opportunities for collective action on climate change so that we can contribute to greater equity, and community and environmental resilience, health and wellbeing.
For Community Trust South we are at the start of our Ngā Mahi Āhuarangi/Climate Action journey, we are currently developing our Climate change action plan and will continue to update our progress as we move along this path.
For more information on the Aotearoa Funders Commitment to Ngā Mahi Āhuarangi/Climate Action please visit:
https://www.climateactionaotearoa.co.nz/
Aotearoa Funders Commitment on Climate Action
01 Reflecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supporting Māori aspirations regarding climate action
We commit to the spirit of partnership with Iwi, Hapū / Māori to address the causes and impacts of climate change. We will seek to enable Māori aspirations and recognise mātauranga Māori in climate action, respecting whakapapa, tino rangatiratanga, rite tahi (equity) and kaitiakitanga.
02 An equitable transition
We will take action on how we invest and fund, to enable greater equity in the transition to a low carbon society. We will support initiatives that foster equitable transition, and we will support vulnerable communities burdened by the impacts arising from the transition.
03 Enable leadership
We will support and grow the leadership in our communities, especially in tangata whenua, rangatahi and marginalised communities to accelerate an equitable transition. We will actively support community-led action and systems change to enable an equitable transition.
04 Commit and share resources
We will take opportunities to contribute to and support mitigation and adaptation to climate change impacts. We will commit resources to accelerate work addressing the causes and impacts of climate change and identify opportunities to co-fund initiatives.
05 Learn and grow
We will create opportunities for our trustees, staff and communities to learn more about climate change causes, impacts and solutions, including through mātauranga Māori. We will share opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills needed to act.
06 Decarbonise our investments and operations
We will take action to minimise the carbon footprint of our own operations. We will proactively address the risks and opportunities of the transition to a low carbon society in our investment strategies.
07 Report on progress
We will report annually on our progress against the commitments listed above. We will continue to develop our practice, to learn from others, and to share our learning.
After launching the Funders Commitment, the first action of Climate Action Aotearoa was to create a shared online resource for funders. The resource provides guidance towards a just, equitable and tika transition that reflects our unique Aotearoa context.
Being tika is about taking right action. A tika transition is about embracing tikanga Māori as a source of solutions and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Associate Professor Maria Bargh, 2019).
The shared resource sets out the principles of a tika transition, provides a guide towards a tika transition for each of the seven funder commitments and is packed full of useful information and examples of positive action relating to:
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An exploration of climate change and its effects
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Actions towards balance on local to international scales
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Realising the seven funder commitments
Guidance and resources are also provided on how to implement a tika transition in key aspects of philanthropy: governance, strategy, investment, grantmaking and operations.
“The web-based Shared Resource aims to provide relevant Climate Action intelligence, policy, and implementation guidance to the philanthropy sector as well as helpful information for the community sector,” says Linn Araboglos, Chief Executive of Wellington Community Fund, who chairs the working group. “We believe it will help to inspire co-ordinated and impactful climate action within our regions across Aotearoa.”
We invite you to start your own Tika Transition journey by exploring our shared resource here: www.climateactionaotearoa.co.nz/resources-home
The Carbon Emissions Calculator
The Carbon Emissions Calculator is the newest feature of a Climate Action Toolbox, developed by the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and business.govt.nz and others.
The free online Toolbox makes it easy for smaller businesses and organisations to measure and reduce their carbon footprint.