In this final episode of Countdown to the Climate Action Festival, Dr Joanna Santa Barbara sits down with Marie Becdelievre, Adaptation Lead for Nelson City Council, to explore how our region is planning for the challenges of climate change. From sea level rise and flooding to earthquakes and bushfires, Marie explains how councils assess and respond to risk, and how communities can play a part in shaping a resilient future. The conversation dives into the realities of planning amid uncertainty - identifying both the roadblocks and the opportunities for individuals, iwi, businesses, and local government to work together.

In this episode of Countdown to the Climate Action Festival, Rachel Sanson speaks with Tom Kay about the urgent need to rethink how we manage our rivers in a changing climate. Drawing on years of research and practical experience, Tom explores how traditional flood protection and environmental management have often made things worse - hardening riverbanks, disrupting natural systems, and increasing the risks of disaster. He presents a powerful alternative: making space for rivers by allowing them to reclaim parts of their natural floodplains. This nature-based approach can help protect communities, restore ecosystems, and create new opportunities for recreation, showing that when we work with nature’s rhythms instead of against them, everyone benefits.

In this episode of Countdown to the Climate Action Festival, Forum member Jack Santa Barbara speaks with Dr Catherine Knight, author of An Uncommon Land and one of the leading environmental historians in Aotearoa. Together, they explore the story of the commons - the traditional rights of access to land and shared resources - and how their loss through enclosure shaped modern society. Catherine shares how rediscovering the ethos of the commons could help us build a more equitable, regenerative economy and restore our sense of connection to each other and the land.

In this episode of Countdown to the Climate Action Festival, Louise Perzigian chats with Rosie Hadfield from the Golden Bay Sustainable Living Centre, a thriving community hub dedicated to practical, local solutions for sustainable living. They explore what kai resilience means in practice - from community gardens and seed saving to regenerative growing and local food networks - and how these grassroots efforts help communities adapt to climate change while strengthening connection and wellbeing.

In this opening episode of Countdown to the Climate Action Festival, Christina Simkanin talks with filmmaker Antoinette Wilson about The New Peasants - an intimate portrait of a family who have spent two decades reimagining what it means to live well. The film follows Meg, Patrick, Zephyr, and Woody, who stepped away from modern industrial life to embrace a radically simple, sustainable, and community-centred way of living. Christina and Antoinette explore the inspiration behind the film, what it means to live “new peasant” values today, and how individual choices can add up to collective change. Catch The New Peasants at the 2025 Nelson Tasman Climate Action Festival, including a live Q&A with the featured family joining via Zoom from Australia.