Living in and out of time: Youth-led activism in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Addressing past and present injustices in order to create more just futures is the central premise of most social movements. How activists conceptualise and relate to time affects 1 how they articulate their vision, the actions they take and how they imagine intergenerational justice. Two social movements for change are emblematic of different relationships with time: the struggle to resolve and repair past injustices against Indigenous peoples and the struggle to avert environmental disaster, which haunt the future of the planet. We report ethnographic research (interviews and participant observation) with young activists in these two social movements in New Zealand: Protect Ihumātao seeks to protect Indigenous land from a housing development, and Generation Zero is lobbying for a zero-carbon future. We argue that analysing activists’ articulations and sensations of time is fundamental to understanding the ways they see themselves in relation to other generations, their ethical imperatives for action and beliefs about how best to achieve social change. Protect Ihumātao participants spoke of time as though past, present and future were intertwined and attributed their responsibility to protect the land to past and future generations. Generation Zero participants spoke of time as a linear trajectory to a climate-altered future, often laying blame for the current crises on previous generations and attributing the responsibility for averting the crisis to younger generations. How activists conceptualise time and generational relations therefore has consequences for the attribution of responsibility for creating social change. Understanding and learning about temporal diversity across social movements is instructive for expanding our thinking about intergenerational responsibility which might inform ways of living more respectfully with the planet.

Moving at the Speed of Trust: Radical and Progressive Change through Climate Justice Movements in Aotearoa

“…Similarly, the process of climate justice is also an ongoing process. These concepts of time within relationality more closely align with Indigenous conceptions of time, as well as the evolving relationship between place and people exemplified by Ihumātao (Nairn et al, 2021). There is an ongoing, changing, relational, socially constructed and mediated space that is climate justice in Aotearoa.…”

“…As explained by Tina, intergenerational justice is an inherent part of an Indigenous approach. Nairn et al (2021) also found this to be true when they compared the conception of time between Ihumātao and Generation Zero (GenZero). Ihumātao activists had an Indigenous conception of time with past, present, and future as intertwined in a spiral, folding back onto itself (Nairn et al, 2021).…”

“…Ihumātao activists had an Indigenous conception of time with past, present, and future as intertwined in a spiral, folding back onto itself (Nairn et al, 2021). GenZero had a linear, colonial conception, framing the younger generation as carrying the burden of dealing with climate change, hence the demands for intergenerational justice (Nairn et al, 2021). The former is an expression of intergenerational justice; the continuing, shared responsibility across generations, guided by an evolving relationship between place and people (Nairn et al, 2021).…”

“…Participants highlight that alternative worldviews, especially Māori and disabled within the context of Aotearoa and this research, need to be centred in discussions on climate change, development, and justice. Tina, Tamatha, Lourdes, Kera, and Jason explained that Te Ao Māori and Crip Wisdom provide frameworks for relating to each other and the environment in diverse ways, and this is evident in the literature on Indigenous contributions (Hartendorp & Bradford, 2016;Nairn et al, 2021;Whyte, 2020). In Te Ao Māori, whakapapa is the source of knowledge and relationships.…”

Moving at the Speed of Trust: Radical and Progressive Change through Climate Justice Movements in Aotearoa

“…Nairn et al (2021) also found this to be true when they compared the conception of time between Ihumātao and Generation Zero (GenZero). Ihumātao activists had an Indigenous conception of time with past, present, and future as intertwined in a spiral, folding back onto itself (Nairn et al, 2021). GenZero had a linear, colonial conception, framing the younger generation as carrying the burden of dealing with climate change, hence the demands for intergenerational justice (Nairn et al, 2021).…”