Athena Bacero, Sophie Wheddon and Tala Alofa pictured on the steps at Parliament. Photo: Ashleigh McCaull / RNZ
On the steps of Parliament on Tuesday, seven-year-old Sophia Wheddon had a question for politicians - she wanted to know how they were going to save the world from climate change.
She was one of three children who arrived at Parliament to tell politicians how worried they are. They were calling for greater investment in safer and reliable transport, less plastic packaging and awareness of the impacts climate change was having on Pacific nations.
A total of 175 messages, gathered by Save the Children as part of its message in a bottle global campaign, were handed to Climate Change Minister James Shaw. The Message in a Bottle campaign, part of Plastic-Free July, invited children to share what they wanted to see leaders to do about climate change.
At the handover, Sophia said: "If we had no world there would be nowhere for us to live - there would be no food, no water. We wouldn't survive."
Seven-year-old Athena Bacero came along because she had a message for those in charge.
"Take away the plastic, help the animals and stuff, less pollution because there is lots of pollution and the animals are getting hurt in their habitats."
Tala Alofa, 10, wanted to see more trees planted to help provide more oxygen and help with deforestation. Tala did a speech last year on the impacts of climate change on the Pacific Islands.
"I found out that the Pacific is actually contributing to less than 1 percent of climate change, yet they're the ones being affected the most - so I find that really unfair."
James Shaw talks to children at Tuesday's event. Photo: Ashleigh McCaull / RNZ
Save the Children advocacy and research director Jacqui Southey said children felt the effects of climate change through Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather this year.
"It's directly impacting children's lives in that way where some children weren't able to go to school, some are still not back in their homes.
"And then we've got children who are really worried as soon as they hear rain on the roof - does this mean the next flooding event is imminent? So our children are absolutely impacted," Southey said.
Next month these messages will be sent to New York, where they will be presented to world leaders at the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit.
Shaw emphasised that although these children could not vote, it was critical their voices were still heard. The greatest momentum for political action on climate change had come from children and rangatahi, he said.
Green MPs Marama Davidson, James Shaw and Ricardo Menéndez March. Photo: Ashleigh McCaull / RNZ
"Whether they were exerting that influence towards politicians, or they were having conversations with their parents at home and then their parents were getting out and voting according to their desires for how their kids were going to grow up in the future."
