Nelson College for Girls head student has defended climate protests as strikes take place around New Zealand today.
Josephine Ripley told 1 NEWS there is an assumption only "a saint" with no carbon footprint can protest, but that's not the case.
"We have had a little bit of an idea that only a saint can protest, like 'ah these kids are probably driving to school' and things like that 'so why should we be listening to them, do they even no the science behind it,' but basically we haven't seen action, they let us down and they failed us.
"It's up to us now to take the change and this movement led completely by youth is one of the only things that has given me hope for my future basically," Josephine said from the Nelson climate change protest.
Her comments come as thousands of people participated in climate change strikes across the country, in what is believed to be the biggest protests yet.
In Auckland, youth organisation 4TK - 4 Tha Culture partnered up with School Strike 4 Climate - the original group behind the March protests - to bring Pacific voices to the discussion on climate change.
Protestors have gathered at the Auckland CBD's Aotea Square, where they chanted, "Sea levels are rising and so are we".
Speaking at the event, Luke Wijohn said: "You may feel hopeless - do not. Hopelessness is useless."
Meanwhile, climate change protestors in Wellington marched to Parliament grounds from Wellington's Civic Square.
Protestors held signs saying, "how dare you", "I want a hot date not a hot planet", "denial is not a policy" and "make the Earth great again".
MPs who attended were National's Nick Smith, Labour's Andrew Little, Greg O' Connor and Kelvin Davis, and Green Party's Jan Logie, Gareth Hughes and James Shaw.
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