School Strike for Climate Action placard

This placard was made by primary school student Hazel Cubis for the School Strike for Climate Action global campaign held in New Zealand on Friday 15 March 2019. It is one of several selected by strike organisers across the country in a co-collecting project with Te Papa.

United by their concern for the future of the planet, tens of thousands of young students marched in towns and cities throughout the country. They declared ‘We are striking from school to tell our politicians to take our futures seriously and treat climate change for what it is - a crisis … In New Zealand, education is viewed as immensely important, and a key way to make a difference in the world. But simply going to school isn’t doing anything about climate change … So, as our contribution to the changes we want to see, we are striking from school. We are temporarily sacrificing our educations in order to save our futures' (School Strike 4 Climate NZ, see Three Northland schoolgirls organise strike to protest climate change - NZ Herald).

The protest caused controversy in some quarters, with concerned people questioning whether striking was a worthwhile use of learning time. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern released a statement acknowledging the strike: ‘I have said that climate change is my generation's nuclear free moment - for them it's literally their future’ (NewsHub, 15 March 2019).

Ten year old Hazel made and carried this placard for the strike in Wellington. It shows the influence of popular culture in protest imagery and messaging. ‘The sign I made represents the earth getting too hot because of climate change,’ she told Te Papa. ‘My sign is funny because I made the earth look like the pop singer Bruno Mars, saying "I’m too hot – hot damn" from his song ‘Uptown Funk’ (2015). I made my sign because I think it is extremely important for younger generations to take charge about the historical event.' In Hazel’s image, the earth is wearing Bruno Mars’ signature cap and sunglasses. Her placard also calls on Climate Change Minister of Parliament and co-leader of the Green Party James Shaw with the statement: ‘We need a plan!’

The School Strike 4 Climate Action movement began in Sweden in August 2018 when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg missed school to protest outside the Swedish Parliament holding a sign that read ‘Skolstrejk för klimatet’ (school strike for the climate). Since then it has grown into a worldwide movement, where youth are at the forefront of demanding that governments protect the future of the environment that they will inherit.

The Christchurch terror attacks followed shortly after the protest marches had finished. On that day, the Masjid Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre were attacked by a heavily armed white supremacist during Friday prayer, who killed 51 people and wounded 50 more. Hazel Cubis reflected: 'it is sad that the event was over-shadowed by the unspeakable things that happened on March 15 as well.'