Climate advocate and Ngāpuhi leader Mike Smith remains at the centre of efforts to hold governments and major emitters accountable for their response to climate change.
Smith, an elder of Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahu, took a landmark case against seven major New Zealand companies, arguing their greenhouse gas emissions were contributing to climate harm affecting his whenua, moana and places of cultural significance. In 2024, the Supreme Court reinstated the proceeding, allowing the claims to move beyond the strike-out stage.
The climate battle has now moved onto the international stage, with Dutch environmental justice organisation Both ENDS lodging a complaint with the European Commission over New Zealand’s climate and environmental commitments under its free trade agreement with the European Union. Smith is among those providing supporting statements, although Both ENDS is the formal complainant.
The complaint asks the European Commission to examine whether recent government decisions are consistent with commitments made under the NZ-EU agreement. No breach has been established, and the Commission is now assessing the complaint.
For Smith, the debate is also about kaitiakitanga, whakapapa and protecting the whenua and moana for generations to come, as climate policy increasingly intersects with the courts, international agreements and the rights and interests of Māori.
Mike Smith joins Radio Waatea to discuss where his climate campaign goes next and what international scrutiny could mean for Aotearoa.
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