For seven days, people and groups from all over the country came together with one simple message – Westpac, stop funding climate change! This is just the beginning.
We’ve been overwhelmed to see so many people taking part in actions and events, being creative with their asks, being bold and brave, not letting up. We were excited to see all the pictures, videos, and stories, by people saying things like “let’s keep going!” and “I had no idea my bank is into this. What can I do?”.
We were also saddened and disappointed that Westpac haven’t listened. They haven’t listened to us, or to their own customers – in Wellington, they kicked their own customers out of the bank, in Christchurch, they closed the branch half an hour earlier just because they had heard that folks might show up. What has to happen for them to take climate change seriously? What else do Westpac’s customers have to do to get the message across – we don’t want our money financing climate change!
Westpac’s response (or lack of response, to be more precise) just gives us even more energy and determination to scale this up, to make our call louder and clearer. Because, as we saw this past week, it is not just our call, it is a call made by so many people all across New Zealand. So watch this space for what we can all do next to make Westpac live up to their promises and dump Denniston coal!
SO WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE WESTPAC WEEK OF ACTION?
Five actions in Gisborne (one every day during the lunchtime!)
Action in Invercargill
Action in Dunedin
“Climate Crime Scene” action in Tauranga
“Westpac Dump Coal” action in Wellington (video and pictures)
Action in Auckland
Polar bear action in Nelson (pictures, video and article on stuff.co.nz )
Action in Motueka
We also got loads of pictures from people with their own individual asks for Westpac, as well as poems and memes posted on Westpac’s Facebook wall.
Thanks everyone who was involved in any of these event and actions in whatever role or level – you are awesome!