This is a declaration grounded in a deep sense of responsibility—responsibility that we all must feel, but particularly given that we, as New Zealanders, are members of the Pacific. In 2019, I visited Tokelau, a rare privilege. A population of only 1,500, only accessible by boat—and so perhaps, therefore, their story is not often shared. But there I physically observed newly built coastal walls that were already toppling over from the assault by the sea. Those walls had been erected to prevent a seaside burial ground that had been there for many, many years from being inundated—to protect it against significant erosion. Those walls were already failing. 