LCANZI Newsletter - June 2022
Kia ora koutou,
Please see our June newsletter below for an update of the last month.
Smith v Fonterra: Application to intervene granted
LCANZI has been granted leave to intervene in the Supreme Court for the appeal from the Court of Appeal’s strike out decision, which, if upheld, would prematurely block potential tort law responses to climate change and could limit the ability of the law to respond to the significant social and economic change that climate change will bring over coming decades. LCANZI will file a written submission and potentially provide oral submissions. A copy of the application is here.
Zui for LCANZI volunteers
We had our first LCANZI volunteer zui on May 12, thank you to those who attended. Our Secretary, Sophie Meares, has reported that the zui went well and we were provided with several suggestions for potential future areas of focus. Feedback from attendees was that it was a great opportunity for people to connect and hear about our projects in person. After the success of this zui we will be looking to host them more regularly so watch this space.
Guide to Climate Change related obligations of local government authorities
The LCANZI local government subcommittee led by Michael Sharp have written a helpful guide explaining the climate change related obligations of local government authorities.
The document is intended as a general guide for local communities as to climate change related legal obligations and processes of local authorities in Aotearoa. It discusses what community action can be taken to support these obligations being complied with and constructive outcomes being achieved at local levels in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the impacts of climate change.
You can read a longer summary of the guide here.
You can access the full guide here.
Calling all criminal lawyers!
We provide a “meet-up” service for climate activists and lawyers who are willing to provide them with pro-bono or reduced fee legal services.
The requests from activists can be many and varied, but they can include advice on:
Legal research
Organisational structure for non-profit organisations
Litigation
We are getting pro bono requests for criminal lawyers to help climate activists following arrests at climate protests. We do not currently have any criminal lawyers to match these people up with so we would be extremely appreciative if any criminal lawyers interested in providing this kind of help could contact probono@lawyersforclimateaction.nz or sign up for our pro bono service here.
Ngā mihi maioha for your support and we will update you again soon.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā!
LCANZI Committee