Since there is so much happening this week through New Zealand, we thought the best way how to keep everyone updated would be to post a quick summary every day on what has happened so far, and what is coming up next. This is Monday.

This week we met with Westpac. Watch the video and see what they said.

During the Westpac Week of Action we want to show Westpac who are the people behind the letters and asks, show them that they are real people, all ages and generations, students, moms, activists, lawyers, pastors - everyone! Pictures are a really powerful tool to show it, and this is where we need you.

Westpac recently emailed a response to some of the many people who have been calling on them to remove their financial support from Bathurst Resources Ltd. They delegated the South Island Regional Manager, Gina Dellabarca, to make this response. Unfortunately, the response calls further into question the truth behind Westpac’s own policies and commitments.

Since last week, 350 team has gotten bigger - we have Natalie from US on board, doing a 2 month internship as part of her environmental science studies. Though new to NZ, she is not new to global 350 community - she has done some 350 campaigning in her university.

One of many cool things about building a climate movement is that you get to meet and work with all sorts of people and hear stories that show how impossibly diverse and fun and full of energy this climate community is. Anna De Roo is one of these people - she has been helping with 350 Aotearoa projects and volunteering with other climate organizations around here, and this year is part of NZ Youth Delegation in climate negotiations in Warsaw. This is her story (with some seriously awesome MS Paint drawings!)

Today, 23 October, 350 Aotearoa and Coal Action Network Aotearoa set up a climate crime scene outside Westpac’s Lambton Quay branch in Wellington, following the launch of a campaign calling on Westpac to stop lending to Bathurst Resources, the company that wants to mine the Denniston Plateau for coal.