Events that galvanised us as a nation to fight for better; to change our thinking; or put us firmly on the world stage as a country that stands up for what we believe in.
Ask any New Zealander what makes them proud to be a Kiwi, and chances are it’ll be that we’re still, proudly, nuclear-free. But how did we get there? What were the events that happened in our country’s history that led us to become one of the first countries in the world to be completely nuclear-free?
And while those events took place over 30 years ago, what are the ‘nuclear-free’ issues of today? What are the important issues we’re now facing as a country, compelling us to make changes? To stand up for what we believe in?
Our ad campaign was designed to draw a connection between those key events in New Zealand’s history and our future. That by choosing to invest in socially responsible investment funds, you have the power to make positive change.
Key events in NZ's history
So, what were those key events in our history that, as a nation, galvanised us into action? I've dived into these key events in more detail, looking at the changes in our thinking that these events precipitated and why we chose to feature them as part of our social media campaign.
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David Lange and the Oxford Debate |
The Rainbow Warrior bombing |
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Deep-sea oil drilling in the Arctic |
MV Rena oil spill |
What’s next?
While our nuclear-free stance is still something to be proud of, 30 years on, we’re facing different, more complex issues on a much larger scale.
As a country, we’ve always prided ourselves on being clean and green. But increased population growth, an ongoing reliance on fossil fuels, an explosion in the use of plastics and increasing waste management issues means we’re faced with a situation that feels overwhelming. Where do you even begin to try and tackle the problem?
Recently, we partnered with our friends at CoGo to create Re:Action - a community hub for people wanting to connect with sustainable ventures and businesses in their local area. This very topic came up at our first event. What are some small, actionable steps we can take now to start living a more sustainable life?
Being one of the key owners of this project at Booster, this concept of easy, actionable steps was an integral aspect of the ethos behind Re:Action. Choosing to be more sustainable shouldn’t be complex or difficult. Sometimes, it’s just about knowing where to begin.
For me, already a reusable coffee cup convert (hey, coffee keeps the words flowing!), I was inspired by local zero-waste lunch delivery service, Yum Jar. Using Yum Jar’s service instead of grabbing my lunch on the go is one way I can make an ongoing, small change to reducing my environmental impact - as well as supporting a great local initiative.
There are many simple, small everyday actions you can make to start being more ethical. You can make a choice with how and where you spend or invest your money. Even just making a commitment to spend more of your money with local, environmental initiatives is a great first step on your sustainable journey.
