Kia ora 350 family,

2025 was a year of deep listening, relationship-building and laying strong foundations for what comes next. I joined 350 Australia at the end of 2024, and over the past year I’ve had the privilege of listening and learning alongside our staff, volunteers, collaborators and donors—deepening our understanding of what drives us, where we’re strongest, and how we can grow our collective impact.

One thing became clear very quickly: 350 is small but mighty. We are powered by a skilled and passionate team, committed volunteers, and deep local and global relationships. In 2025, we chose to invest in the long term—strengthening trust, collaboration and strategy through conflict transformation training, new digital organising tools, community events, coalition building, and the beginnings of a bold, people-powered vision for the future.

Listening to communities across Oceania

From July to December, we worked alongside communities across Oceania to co-create a shared vision for climate justice by 2050. Through surveys, consultations, events and research, we gathered the climate hopes and aspirations of more than 30,000 people, many from First Nations and frontline communities.

A huge thank you to our collaborators at the Advocacy Research Network for helping us to make this happen. You can read their research here and here.

Across all inputs, a clear message emerged: climate justice means First Nations sovereignty, fairness for those most impacted, community-led solutions, and real shifts in power. People are motivated by care for future generations, love for Country and animals, and a deep commitment to justice—and they are ready to act.

A shared vision for 2050

From hundreds of letters written to the future by 350 supporters, a powerful vision took shape: a world where land and water are healing; energy is clean and community-owned; food systems are local and regenerative; First Nations peoples are respected as custodians of Country; and no one is left behind. It is a future guided by care, cooperation and responsibility.

Building the movement we need

In 2025, we clarified how we create change—by shifting culture, winning political change, and strengthening relationships across the movement. Our purpose expanding: to protect and return First Nations lands and island homes, end fossil fuels, and secure a just transition—powered by people and solidarity.

Looking ahead to 2026

In the year ahead, we will:

• Launch new digital platforms to make campaign tools more accessible to grassroots organisers
• Support First Nations-led campaigns for Country, climate and communities
• Scale electrification and renewable energy campaigns
• Amplify First Nations, Pacific and global majority climate leadership, particularly women on the frontlines
• Work in strong coalitions to end coal, oil and gas and hold polluters accountable

The lesson from 2025 is simple but profound: when we listen deeply and invest in people and relationships, we build the power needed to create lasting change.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support powers frontline leadership, grassroots action and bold climate justice solutions.

In solidarity and strength,
Te Raukura

on behalf of Yessie, Kelly, Amy, Lisa, Waniki, Mary, James, Ken, Claire, Ale, Lavanya, Beatrice and Shani—the 350 Australia and Our Islands, Our Home teams.  

$77 million win for climate resilience in the Torres Strait

Ailan Ambassadors at COP30

At its heart, Ailan Pawa (island power) supports young people to step into their power as climate leaders, advocating for urgent action on climate change on behalf of their communities. Ailan Pawa is dedicated to nurturing young Torres Strait Islander leaders, known as Ailan Ambassadors, by strengthening their skills in climate campaigning, advocacy, and impactful storytelling.

The program is anchored by an annual Ailan Pawa Gathering, which brings together young leaders aged 16–30 in a culturally safe and supportive space. Over several days, participants build practical skills in climate justice organising, media, and advocacy, while sharing stories, strengthening cultural identity, and learning from one another. Ailan Pawa prepares Ambassadors to confidently represent their communities in national and international decision-making spaces, contributing to broader efforts to shift climate narratives, centre First Nations leadership, and secure meaningful government responses to community-identified priorities.

In November 2025, these efforts were carried onto the global stage at COP30, the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Belém, Brazil. The conference brought together world leaders, Indigenous representatives, youth advocates, and frontline communities to push for stronger global climate action. At COP30, Ailan Pawa Ambassadors elevated Torres Strait Islander voices, representing the Our Islands Our Home campaign and their island homes.

Lala Gutchen, a proud Meuram woman from Erub Island and Ailan Pawa Ambassador, travelled to Belém through Common Threads, sharing firsthand accounts of the climate impacts already affecting her community. Kabay Tamu, a Warraber Traditional Owner and Torres Strait 8 claimant who has also been part of the Ailan Pawa program, attended COP30 with WWF Australia’s delegation, advocating for climate justice and recognition of Torres Strait Islander rights.

Together, Lala and Kabay represented their communities on international panels, marched alongside tens of thousands for climate justice, and called for an urgent global phase-out of fossil fuels. They also urged the Australian Government to visit every island in the Torres Strait to witness the impacts communities are already living with.

Lala shared:

“The land and sea are the lungs of our sacred language. As a duty of care, I and many others hold the responsibility of protecting our language and cultural knowledge for future generations… We want to save it, but the land and sea our language belongs to are disappearing. We may no longer have our sacred lands for it to be spoken and practiced on.”

From island homes in Zenadth Kes to Brazil, Lala and Kabay showed strength and leadership for their communities and future generations, reinforcing a powerful message: young Torres Strait Islander voices are essential to holding governments accountable and securing a just climate future.

Protect Larrakia Country

We are honoured to begin the new year with a new First Nations campaign partner: Protect Larrakia Country, led by Larrakia women Laniyuk, Cyan Sue-Lee, and Sharna Nakata. The campaign aims to:

• Protect and restore Larrakia freshwater and creeks
• Stop the Middle Arm gas hub expansion and redirect the public funding to a Larrakia-led just transition for Darwin
• Return Lee Point to the care and protection of Larrakia people

Lee Point is one of Darwin’s last stretches of coastal bushland, home to over 200 bird species, ancient trees, and precious ecosystems. It is a sacred site of Larrakia Dreaming, carrying stories, law, and responsibilities passed down for generations. Yet it is under threat to build military housing. The Darwin RAAF base has already caused lasting damage, contaminating Larrakia creeks with PFAS chemicals, making once-sacred birthing freshwater sites unusable.

For over five years, Larrakia people, environmental groups, and the Darwin community have delayed this destruction. The Protect Larrakia Country campaign’s focus now is to build public support for a Larrakia-owned eco-sanctuary at Lee Point — protecting biodiversity, restoring creeks, creating income, and enabling culture, birds, and plants to flourish together. In 2024, Larrakia organisers presented this vision to NT Attorney-General Marie-Claire Boothby, who was open to it. What’s needed now is public pressure — and public backing — to turn this vision into reality.

Middle Arm sits on Darwin Harbour — and is being targeted for massive gas expansion by fossil fuel corporations that want to: 

• Flatten 1,500 hectares of old-growth rainforest and mangrove
• Drill and dredge seabeds
• Build polluting factories along the harbour
• Endanger sacred saltwater animals and ecosystems
• Increase NT emissions by 75%

This expansion is being propped up by $1.9 billion in federal funding — money that must instead support a Larrakia-led just transition for Darwin toward regenerative economies rooted in arts, culture, language, land stewardship, community care and climate-safe livelihoods.

Years of resistance show these projects are not inevitable. Funding has been delayed, courts have ruled in favour of Country and community organising is working. But the window is closing. Public pressure can still stop these projects, secure lasting protection for Larrakia Country, and build unstoppable support for a just, fossil-free future led by First Nations people. 

You can add your power by signing this Larrakia-led petition to protect Darwin Harbour, protect Larrakia culture and protect our shared future:

Sea of Nations

Imagine the sea not just as water, but as the web of life that connects coasts, cultures, livelihoods and generations. This is the foundation of Sea of Nations, a campaign rooted in the belief that when coastal communities are informed and united, they can shape a stronger future for their seas and themselves. 

Led by respected First Nations leaders and allies, Antonia Burke, Therese Wokay Bourke, Shar Molloy, Jacqui Katona and Carol Puruntatameri, Sea of Nation’s vision is clear: healthy seas, thriving coastal communities and strong cultures. The campaign combines ancestral and cultural understanding with environmental science to protect marine biodiversity, safeguard coastal livelihoods, and uplift traditional stories and songlines that tie people to the sea. 

In 2025, our team was fortunate to strengthen relationships of solidarity with the team at Sea of Nations. Te Raukura travelled to Tiwi Islands to join the ceremonial launch of the organisation and our Cultural Lead Yessie Mosby and Senior Organiser Mary Maselina Harm joined a Sea of Nations delegation trip to Timor Leste, alongside other Indigenous land and sea protectors. Antonia travelled with Te Raukura to their hometown of Taranaki to share her people’s story with Māori also resisting extraction from their lands and seas and then she visited our Director of First Nations & Pasifika Solidarity, Lisa, in Niue for ceremony, women’s business and cultural exchange. 

In every wave and coastline, there are stories of connection and resilience. We are beyond excited to be collaborating with Sea of Nations to help ensure those stories are heard, honoured, and woven into the decisions that shape the future. 

Weaving Our Stories

A highlight of 2025 was joining a circle of First Nations and Pasifika changemakers who are holding the frontline of climate resistance with deep love for land, sea, sky, and each other.

On Larrakia Country, I sat in ceremony alongside Aunty Carol, Aunty Nazareth, Laniyuk, Tishiko, Mary, Te Raukura and Antonia. With saltwater and ochre on our skin, we shared tears, laughter, and stories carried across generations. I heard about the landmark Torres Strait 8 case led by Aunty Naz and others, and the litigation Antonia and Aunty Carol courageously spearheaded against Santos and the Federal Government Regulator NOPSEMA. We spoke about the planned expansion of the Middle Arm gas hub on Laniyuk’s country, the drilling of Tiwi Sea Country, and the intensifying impacts of climate change across the Torres Strait and Pacific. Together, we began to envision a campaign rooted in culture, ceremony, and creativity—one that holds the Australian government accountable.  

This is the heart of Weaving Our Stories. From Larrakia Country to the Tiwi Islands and Poruma, from Niue to Aotearoa, we are building campaigns that are bold, creative, and urgently needed—not just for ourselves, but for our communities and future generations.

In 2026, Weaving Our Stories for a Fossil Free Future will build national support to end fossil fuels, ensure a just transition, and protect and return First Nations lands and island homes. The campaign will share the stories, struggles, and solutions of frontline saltwater communities resisting fossil fuel extraction across Tiwi Sea Country, Larrakia Country, the Torres Strait and Pasifika.

Building on the 2024 tour, we will showcase First Nations and Pasifika climate leadership through digital storytelling, art activations, a publication, podcasts and a storytelling tour. Working with media and cultural partners, we hope to reach hundreds of thousands of people and provide clear pathways for collective action toward a fossil-free future.

Reflections by our Director of First Nations & Pasifika Solidarity Lisa Viliamu 

We strengthened connections with Māori across Aotearoa, supporting collective work for Treaty and environmental justice

When Te Raukura interviewed for the role of CEO at 350 Australia, they named a core strength they would bring: deep, long-standing relationships with people working for justice across Aotearoa. Their vision was clear — a movement rooted in collaboration with partners in Aotearoa and across the Pacific, working together toward justice for all.

Like migratory birds, our movements are interconnected. We know that none of us are free until all of us are free.

In August, Te Raukura worked alongside Nicole Hunt, Tina Walker-Ferguson, Rangimarie Jolley, and Lourdes Vano, together with 350 Aotearoa and ActionStation, to convene a 100-person gathering in Taranaki, made up largely of Māori climate, environment, and Treaty workers. The wānanga (gathering) created space for deep learning, relationship-building, and shared strategy grounded in place, culture, and collective responsibility. It was called Together for Te Taiao. 

This work was primarily supported by Me Tū-ā-Uru — an action plan for a flourishing and abundant taiao (environment, including humans) that sustains all life. It envisions a future where tangata whenua (people of the land) and tangata Tiriti (people in Aotearoa by virtue of the Treaty) live in right relationship with Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) and with each other. The full Me Tū-ā-Uru report offers real-world case studies and a relational framework to help turn that future into lived reality. 

350 Australia acknowledges the authority of First Nations people on First Nations lands. In Victoria, we pay particular respect to the Wurundjeri people whose sacred, sovereign and unceded lands some of our staff and volunteers work from. We extend that acknowledgment and respect to all First Peoples. 

We acknowledge the sacredness of Aboriginal lands and the Torres Strait islands. We bow our heads to the many generations of First Nations land, water and climate protectors that came before us and those who will be here after us.

As a climate justice organisation, we recognise the climate crisis is the result of colonial capitalist systems and values that divide and disconnect us — from ourselves, each other and the Earth. We work to repair this harm and restore good relationships — for Country, climate and communities. 

Before colonisation, every Indigenous community had practices for living in harmony with each other and the land. Using knowledge passed down through generations, First Nations people have long adhered to sophisticated systems of law, spirituality and science that centre reciprocity, responsibility and care. 

Our greatest opportunity in the struggle for climate justice is learning from, and returning to, these values and systems.

It is our deep honour to back the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria in their journey to Treaty. In 2025, we became a Friend of Treaty for Victoria and pledged to:

• Train and activate our staff and volunteers across Victoria to advocate for Treaty
• Amplify the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Australia's first formal truth-telling process
• Back First Nations-led campaigns for land, water and sea
• Encourage other climate and environmental organisations to become a Friend of Treaty
• Honour the Treaty
• Support future treaties for First Nations self-determination, land rights and return

We launched the Climate Justice Coalition because we know we're stronger when we work together

Under the leadership and guidance of Kelly Albion, the Climate Justice Coalition (CJC) has been building something powerful: a movement that unites Australians around a shared vision of climate justice, led by First Nations and Pacific peoples. Bringing together 350 Australia, Tipping Point, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, and 350 Pacific, we are working to end coal and gas this decade—and to do it together.

Last year, our coalition grew to 31 member organisations, from Oxfam to Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International. Each new member brought energy, ideas, and connections, helping us build a truly national network of climate advocates. Together, we shaped our shared mission, strategy, and projects for the next two years, laying the groundwork for big wins ahead.

We came together in four face-to-face gatherings, where relationships deepened and plans took shape. We launched a climate conversations program and tested it with communities in South East Queensland, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra, West Melbourne and Western Sydney. The goal for the program: Help people connect their everyday lives to the better future that awaits them if we take collective action for climate justice. 

With co-convenor Amy Gordon joining our leadership, we are ready to grow even stronger. In 2026, we aim to welcome 200 groups into the coalition, train volunteers in organising and narrative skills, and launch storytelling and engagement events across the continent. 

Our vision is bold but simple: a connected, powerful movement that stops fossil fuel expansion, makes polluters pay, and champions the rights and leadership of First Nations and Pacific peoples. 

Together, we’re not just imagining a better world—we’re building it.

We strengthened our skills in conflict transformation to transform the future

Facilitated by our CEO Te Raukura, Anisha Senaratne and Laniyuk, Tending To Our Relationships for Climate & Land Justice was a five-month conflict transformation fellowship founded on the belief that strong movements are built through strong relationships.

Bringing together 24 First Nations, Pasifika and People of Colour climate justice organisers, the Fellowship created a rare space to learn, practise and embody how we stay in right relationship with each other, with Country, and with our shared purpose—especially when things get hard.

Grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and liberation traditions, the Fellowship drew on the teachings of Moana Jackson, Cherrie Spiller, Hoturoa Barclay, Karlo Mila, Arnie Mindell, Aunty Judy Atkinson, adrienne maree brown, Paulo Freire, Mariame Kaba, John Paul Lederach, Antonia Burke, Pania Newton, Kazu Haga and Leah Manaema Avene. Together, these teachings reframed conflict as a source of learning, healing and collective strength. 

The cohort strengthened their confidence, skills and emotional resilience, learning practical tools for conflict transformation, nervous system regulation, dialogue and deep listening. Many described the experience as personally and politically transformative—supporting them to move through conflict with greater clarity, compassion and effectiveness.

The impact was both personal and practical. Two grassroots-led conflict transformation projects emerging from the Fellowship have already been piloted or funded, demonstrating the power of culturally grounded, community-led approaches.

Overall, the Fellowship strengthened the foundations of a climate movement that is tough on systems, soft on people, and capable of lasting change.