A powerful exhibition that showcases the devastating impacts of climate change in the Pacific has opened at Auckland University of Technology’s Te Wai Ngutu Kākā Gallery after being exhibited at the Museum of Samoa.

Trouble in Paradise - Climate Change in the Pacific, features a series of confronting and compelling images that document the impact of rising sea levels, cyclones and floods on communities across the Pacific.

The exhibition comes to AUT from the Falemata'aga/Museum of Samoa, where it starred as an official side-event of last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. It will now be hosted at AUT in partnership with the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific and the British High Commission in Wellington.

AUT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa said the free exhibition will give visitors a first-hand look at the impacts the climate crisis is having on our Pacific neighbours and empower them to learn about the Pacific artists and communities who are leading, acting and responding.

“These photographs – and their creators – come as authentic voices speaking to our shared global challenge, offering powerful and unique insight, vision and critique, coming in parts sombre, poignant, celebratory, and defiant,” said Professor Salesa.

“Here at AUT, a grateful caretaker of this powerful collection, we have found it speaks both to who we are, and the role we must play in our shared existential challenge. We are a university that is not just in, but of the Pacific, with an indigenous past and present that defines us, and where a third of our students are indigenous to Aotearoa or the Pacific.”

Featuring many of the winning entries from the UK Government’s Pacific Climate Photography Competition in the lead-up to COP26, the photographs featured are by residents of islands across the Pacific. Following the exhibition, the collection of photographs will be generously loaned to AUT to inspire staff and students and their teaching, learning and research.

British Council Director New Zealand and the Pacific, Natasha Beckman, said, “The British Council’s mission is to support arts as a platform to address global challenges of our times - such as climate change. Pacific communities often bear the brunt of its effects despite their minimal contributions to global emissions. Through poignant imagery, Trouble in Paradise aims to move hearts and minds, inspiring urgent action and sparking crucial policy discussions on a global scale.”

Iona Thomas British High Commissioner to New Zealand said, “The Pacific is at the forefront of the climate crisis. Climate change is an existential threat to the security and wellbeing of the region. These images show the strength of the Pacific and that we need to act now to reduce emissions and amplify the voices of those most affected. It is great to see the enduring success of the Trouble in Paradise exhibition and its display in AUT.”

To commemorate the exhibition, AUT and the British Council have co-produced a publication which features an essay from Professor Salesa and contributions from Samoan New Zealand poet Laureates Selina Tusitala Marsh and David Eggleton.