About
350Aotearoa

350 Aotearoa is the New Zealand arm of the international climate movement 350.org, which aims to unite the world around climate change solutions.

Our mission is to support a just transition to a community-led renewable energy future by fostering and enhancing a resilient climate movement.

We are part of a powerful climate movement in Aotearoa, working to deconstruct the pillars of support for the fossil fuel industry and dismantle the structures of oppression that enable it by running strategic campaigns and standing in solidarity with Māori, tangata Moana and frontline voices.

Our campaigns challenge the cultural acceptance of fossil fuels, and push New Zealand and the rest of the world back on track to 350ppm and, consequentially, climate safety (350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in “Parts Per Million” in our atmosphere. 350 PPM).

Strategic Plan

Read our 2030 Strategic Plan

_{For screenreader users, you can read our Strategic Plan in a plain document here.}

Our Te Tiriti Statement

350 Aotearoa is guided by the four articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in conjunction with He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nū Tīrene. We tautoko whānau, hapū and iwi assertions of mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga and recognise that hapū in Aotearoa never ceded sovereignty. We are committed to working in the right relationship with mana whenua and assume our role as a tauiwi organisation.

Read our full Te Tiriti Statement here

The Team

The work of 350 Aotearoa is sustained by our passionate teams of volunteers across the country, our small team of hard-working staff, our dedicated board, and our supporter base, who donate and amplify our work.

Staff

Alva Feldmeier
(She/her, nō Hāmene ahau)
Co-Director
alva@350.org.nz Alva has a background in community organising, campaigning, and lobbying in the human rights and climate justice space. She first got involved with the 350 Aotearoa community as a volunteer in the 350 Ōtepoti Dunedin group in 2018. She enjoys working with volunteers and in an organisation that wants to unite people by collectively tackling the climate crisis.Alva joined our staff team in 2021 initially as our Volunteer and Mobilisation Manager a few months later stepped into the position of Executive Director.

Selfie of Lisa smiling at the camera. She has straight brown hair and glasses.

Lisa McLaren
(She/her, nō Aotearoa ahau)
Co-Director
lisa@350.org.nz

Lisa McLaren has been involved in climate change activism and academia for over 15 years. She was the National Convenor of the Zero Carbon Act campaign for new climate law. She has previously worked in local government on climate policy, emergency response, and community resilience.
Lisa has attended several United Nations climate change negotiations and she was recognised in 2020 with a Queen’s Service Medal for services to climate change advocacy.Lisa is passionate about localising climate change conversations and bringing communities together to face the challenges of the climate crisis head on.

Adam Currie
(He/him, Tangata Tiriti, ancestors from Loch Lomond, Scotland)
Movement Support Manager
adam@350.org.nzAdam’s been campaigning for climate justice ever since a freak storm sent waves crashing into his community. He’s worked in and with groups such as Generation Zero, Greenpeace, freefares.nz & Oil Free Otago – but he’s stoked to be back at 350, where his activism began. Adam’s in love with climate organising in collective community, building together the unstoppable momentum of people power that will create a cleaner, fairer Aotearoa.

Iara Gelpi Photo of Iara

(She/her, nō Urukuai ahau)
Admin Coordinator
iara@350.org.nz

Iara first got involved as a volunteer with the local 350 Tāmaki Makaurau group in 2020. She later joined the staff team in 2022. She is passionate about climate justice, social justice, and community care. Iara loves working with volunteers, and takes particular care in ensuring that those involved in the climate movement feel safe, included, and heard.

Local Volunteer Groups

We know our voices are stronger when we raise them together. Climate change is the fight of our time, and to create meaningful change we need to act together. We began as a grassroots movement in 2009 and that hasn’t changed, by bringing together our skills, time, and networks we can create the change we need.

Together, we can put pressure on our banks, councils, unions, schools and other local institutions to divest from the fossil fuel industry. And it’s happening everywhere: your local group is one of thousands across the globe, all calling on our institutions to cut their financial ties with this dirty industry.

What’s involved with local group organising? Our dedicated teams across Aotearoa organise local events, activities and climate actions. This could involve everything from banner painting, outreach, and social media, to getting behind the megaphone on the day. There’s a place for everyone and we strive to make sure everyone’s skills and talents are valued. We also provide opportunities to up-skill, so make sure you let us know what you’re interested in – whether you’re an expert or completely new to all of this!

Find out more

Board

350 Aotearoa Board (August 2022)

Tania Sawicki Mead
Co-Chair
co-chairs@350.org.nz

Tania has a background in campaigning, advocacy, political strategy and human rights policy. She currently works for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission and previously had roles as the Executive Director of JustSpeak, at the Green Party of Aotearoa and in foreign affairs. She has a Masters in International Relations from the University of British Columbia. She is a born and bred Wellingtonian and is passionate about supporting interconnected movements for social, climate and economic justice, and enjoys diving, cooking feasts for family and friends and dance.

Headshot of Kaeden Kaeden Watts
Interim Co-Chair
Kaeden Watts (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāi Tūhoe) (he/him) works at the intersection of climate change and tino rangatiratanga. Kaeden is experienced in climate advocacy movements, campaigning and environmental advisory services at the grassroots level and government in New Zealand, as well as at the international-level through the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change and United Nations Human Rights working group.

He is the Trustee and co-founder of Te Waka Angamua, an organisation responding to climate-induced impacts affecting vulnerable communities through amplifying Indigenous methods to inform our national response to climate change.

Áine stands smiling outdoors on a house balcony, their short brown hair blowing in the summer breeze. They are a white non-binary femme. Suburban treetops dominate the background, with Auckland's skyline visible in the distance.
Áine Kelly-Costello
Trustee
Nō Aerana, nō Kotirana ōku tūpuna. I tipu ake au ki Aerana, ki Kānata, ki Aotearoa hoki. Ko te North Shore tōku kāinga inaianei. He Pākehā au. Ko Áine tōku ingoa.
Áine (Pākehā, they/them) is a PhD candidate, journalist and activist for overlapping kaupapa including advocacy within disability community, climate justice, immigration and Tiriti justice. Their introduction to campaigning was through the Fossil free university movement spearheaded by 350. They’ve since worked on making climate justice advocacy more accessible to disabled community as well as writing and podcasting on the intersections of disability and climate justice. Examples of their work and contact deets – https://linktr.ee/ainekc/

Black and white headshot of Erica smiling Erica Brooks
Trustee
Erica is Scottish born and raised, grown on Wiradjuri & Gadigal land, and now tangata tiriti in Aotearoa. Though her background is in creative arts, events and media, her interest in systems change and justice movements led her into government service. Her current work centres around organisational design and wellbeing, gender and ethnicity equity, community building and change management. She’s passionate about good governance, adaptive organisations, ethical leadership and planet-centred design.

Studio headshot of Holly
Holly Beals
Board Member
Holly is a Strategic Director and Programme Manager with multi-sector experience working with innovative and purpose-led organisations in Aotearoa.
She brings governance and strategic leadership experience to the board having held roles – Director of Strategic Projects, and prior to that Acting CEO at Goodnature, a conservation technology company, tackling biodiversity decline with non-toxic & humane traps for pest animals.

Passionate in the protection of our indigenous taonga, Holly is driven to work for systemic change for a more equitable and climate resilient future for Aotearoa. She is based in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington.

Annual Report

2024

_{For screenreader users, you can read the annual report in a plain document here.}
2021

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 350 Aotearoa do?

350 Aotearoa is the New Zealand arm of 350.org. the international climate movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.

350 Aotearoa run flaxroots campaigns here in New Zealand, from decarboning the state sector, to calling for renewable community energy projects to fossil fuel divestment. All of our work leverages people power — individuals working together in pursuit of a common goal — to dismantle the influence and infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry. Find more on our About page.

How do I get involved?

At minimum, make sure you’re on our mailing list to find out about our campaigns and receive low-bar actions you can do from the comfort of your home straight to your inbox. Browse our Get Involved page to see how you can make bigger contributions in a local group setting. From there, what you do and how much you get involved is up to your group’s needs, your interests, and how much time you want to put in!

I don’t have time to commit to a local group. How can I still be involved?

Whether in person or online, simply talking with those around you about the climate crisis and what’s happening in your area is an important step toward making change. Also, follow climate action groups like 350 Aotearoa on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share our content for a low-commitment way to show your support.

If there is no local campaign group in your area yet, consider bringing other local supporters together for a one-time event – a potluck meal, film-screening, or roundtable discussion. By building relationships between passionate people in your community, a group is more likely to emerge, even if you’re not available to lead it yourself. From there you might like to consider starting a group in your area. Let us know so we can support you.

You can also donate to keep the movement strong.

Can 350 Aotearoa help run this campaign with me?

You know your own community better than anyone, so we believe local groups are best suited to run – and win! – their own campaigns. However, we can provide resources and guidance so you’re prepared to act on the changes you want to see.

What is climate justice?

Climate justice is the international environmental justice movement’s response to climate change. It views climate change as a complex social justice issue, as opposed to simply an environmental one. While environmentalism may see climate change as a result of poorly regulated industries, climate justice sees it as a product of inequality and an economic system obsessed with growth for the sake of growth. Racism and classism are inextricably linked to climate change, and these issues cannot be ignored.

Why aren’t you talking about things like recycling and veganism?

Our campaigns focus on building transformative power that challenges the status quo and social license of the fossil fuel industry. That means less focus on personal consumption choices (which are incremental) and more emphasis on collective action (which can tackle massive systemic issues).

Both are important, but we believe that by building a movement linked to these three demands, we can reach political tipping points that allow for change big enough to halt the climate crisis:

A fast and just transition to 100% renewable energy
No new fossil fuel projects, anywhere
Not a penny more in finance for the fossil fuel industry

So should I go ahead and start a local group?

If you can identify a few other dedicated people in your community to help you and are committed, yes! Get started.

Our vision is to have thousands of local community groups standing in solidarity with each other. It does take time, commitment, and energy to steer a group to maturity, but it’s precisely that sort of commitment we need if we are to change the course of history.

How much support will 350 Aotearoa offer when I start a group?

We have plenty of trainings and resources available to help you, and we often run campaigns that local groups can easily plug into. Depending on your location and how much staff or volunteer capacity is available, we also might be able to provide coaching and other direct support. But remember, in the end it’s you who can build a real local movement where you live.

I want to make a donation but I don’t want to use my credit card. What is your bank account number?

Our bank details are as follows:

Account name: Three Fifty Aotearoa
Account number: 38-9009-0488496-00

If you choose to make a donation this way, please make your name the reference and email us at 350@350.org.nz to let us know your donation amount. That way we’re able to keep an eye out for it and send you a tax receipt once the payment has been made.

I want to set up an automatic payment to 350 Aotearoa. What is your bank account number?

Our bank details are as follows:

Account name: Three Fifty Aotearoa
Account number: 38-9009-0488496-00

We’ll send through a tax receipt at the end of each financial year.

How do I go about leaving a gift to 350 Aotearoa in my will?

Leaving a bequest is a powerful act of kindness so that you can have a lasting impact to create a brighter, cleaner future for future generations. Bequests enable us to keep leading ambitious campaigns that move us towards a more just, sustainable Aotearoa and send ripples of impact to end the fossil fuel industry, and giving you the ability to support the fight for climate justice into the future.

In our guide to ‘Leaving a gift in your Will’, you can read more about making donations to 350 Aotearoa, the work your gift will support, and how to go about setting up a bequest in your will. As well as all the 350 Aotearoa bequest information required about leaving a gift in your will including; different types of bequests, recommended wording and bequest FAQ’s.

Where is my donation going?

A huge amount of our organisation’s costs go towards volunteer development and support. We invest in the people that are involved in our 350 Volunteer Network by up-skilling and training them and ensuring that they have all the resources to create meaningful change in their communities.

Part of our success so far have been nationally coordinated campaigns that empower people across the country to take action. That is why we continue to invest in our campaigns.

Our staff team consists of two permanent staff members, combined we have just enough capacity to support our volunteers, create meaningful and impactful campaigns and keep our small charitable trust running smoothly yet are small enough to keep staff costs as small as possible.

350 Aotearoa is almost entirely (with the exception of a couple of grants we apply for to cover campaigning costs) funded by our generous donors. We are proud to not be accepting any money from the government, fossil fuel industry or any other corporations that conflict with our campaigns and values.

You can view our past financial reports on the Charities Services Website.

Contact

General Enquiries:
Email: 350@350.org.nz

Media Enquiries:
Email: alva@350.org.nz

Postal address:
98 St Heliers Bay Road
St Heliers
1071 Auckland