Five young people ride to Wellington to ask for climate action

Climate crusaders (from left) Emily Wilson, Sam Dyson, Ellie Craft, Lenka Craft and James Young-Drew pause in Whanganui before heading south. Photo / Bevan Conley

Enduring sore muscles and meals of "compost" wraps, five young people are biking to Wellington on a mission to alter New Zealand's climate-change policy.

The climate crusaders, aka the Zero Carbon Act Bike Tour, left Auckland on February 18. They intend to arrive at Parliament at noon on Thursday and unroll a scroll that shows the Zero Carbon Act NZ.

It aims to make New Zealand a net carbon zero economy by 2050, and is modelled on a British act that passed with only three votes against it in the 500-member British Parliament.

The young people are members of Generation Zero, a nationwide youth organisation that wants a change to climate change policy in New Zealand.

They drafted the act over 12 months, with the help of scientists and lawyers and many late nights, James Young-Drew said. The Labour-led Government has said it will introduce the bill by October and hopes to pass it by mid-2019.

The young people are hoping it gets cross-party support and said a change to policy will count for more than the actions of individuals.

Climate change is something their generation has to lead, they said, and it affects everybody.

"We can achieve a zero-carbon economy and adapt to climate change - it's whether we have the will to do it," Mr Young-Drew said.

The riders are using the Tour Aotearoa cycle route, which is mostly off main roads. They include cities where they can, and on Tuesday talked to children at St John's Hill School and to Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall.

He told them he would announce his personal endorsement of the Zero Carbon Act within 48 hours.

The five have been joined by others, and hope to have a big crowd as they bike from Lower Hutt to Parliament on Thursday.

Before arriving in Whanganui they took the Mountains to Sea cycleway and Whanganui River Rd, and they spent Monday night at the Quaker Settlement. They have suffered sore muscles and eaten "compost wraps" (last night's dinner in a wrap) along the way.

But Mr Young-Drew is buoyed up by conversations he's been having.

"I haven't met a single person who seems resistant to the need for change to combat climate change," he said.

Generation Zero has about 100 active members and 25,000 supporters. Members meet by Skype and use social media to spread their message. Their online petition at www.zerocarbonact.nz has nearly 13,000 signatures.