After confronting Statoil and Chevron seismic blasting 50 nautical miles off the Wairarapa coast in small inflatable boats, we put out a call to New Zealanders to help us buy a bigger boat. The response was phenomenal. Within seven days we’d crowdfunded nearly $100,000 and bought a boat! As the newest member of the Greenpeace fleet, it’s got its rainbow stripes, and a new name chosen by you.
Soon we plan to head out again and continue our protest against climate-wrecking oil exploration. Stay with us.
Welcome the MV Taitu.
Taitu is a verb meaning to hinder, impede, deter, and thwart an enemy. As a name for a boat it references the sea (Tai) and Tu means standing, strength, warrior spirit.
More on the name and history here.
The pre-naming ceremony speeches (video above) were from,
Kate Simcock,
… [the Vega’s] peaceful mission was to protest French nuclear atmospheric testing at the Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific. And so Greenpeace NZ began 44 years ago, with the voyage of a boat. The Vega sailed again in 1973 and in that protest was joined by two NZ navy frigates, the Otago and the Canterbury, which were also on a mission to bear witness on behalf of the NZ government in a peaceful protest against French Nuclear testing.
When Prime Minister Norman Kirk farewelled the crew of the Otago, he said to the crew “Yours is an honourable mission with the power to bring alive the conscience of the world”.
When we painted the rainbow on the side of Taitu… the rainbow symbol reminds us there is hope inherent in action.
Together we ended nuclear testing in the Pacific, and together we can rise up and end the oil age, and together we have the power to bring alive the conscience of the world.
We can follow the MV Taitu on twitter, Facebook, and the Greenpeace Taitu page.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress