Iconic American car show in Taranaki under fire from activists

A monumental celebration of American car culture is set to get underway in Taranaki this week, but several activist groups are calling for its boycott over environmental and cultural implications.

Starting this Wednesday, the 16th annual Americarna will see thousands of attendees from all over New Zealand dust off their star-spangled muscle cars for four days of cruising, parking up, and making memories.

However, Climate Justice Taranaki, Palestinian Solidarity Taranaki, and Better Streets Project want members of the public and local schools to steer clear of the event because they feel it glorifies the use of fossil fuels during a “climate emergency” among other concerns.

“American car culture is the epitome of fossil fuel addiction and individualism. The car culture in Aotearoa has dominated our urban landscape and continues to marginalise those who can’t afford a car or those who would rather walk, cycle, or take public transport,” says Catherine Cheung, Climate Justice Taranaki.

It goes without saying that while classic cars generally emit more emissions than modern vehicles with fuel-efficient engines, they’re primarily used for special occasions and are often only driven a few thousand kilometers per year if not less.

Of course, the transport sector is a major contributor to rising carbon dioxide emissions, even in New Zealand where it was responsible for 16 per cent of the country’s gross emissions in 2021. However, this is not a representation of classic vehicle use.

Cultural concerns were also raised by Kate Cole of Palestinian Solidarity Taranaki, who says that the display of the American flag and celebration of its culture is “disturbing and distasteful” due to the United States Government’s support of Israel in its war with Palestine.

Having been founded in 2007 with the sole intention of celebrating American vehicles, Americarna is by no means affiliated with any political group nor pushes any ideologies on its attendees. In fact, it discourages the display of potentially offensive items such as the Confederate Flag.

“The event aims to bring people together in a festive atmosphere, promoting camaraderie and providing an opportunity to exhibit their vehicles to the public,” it states on Americarna’s website.

With that being said, cars of all kinds have no place being associated with sensitive political topics, nor should the individuals or groups that own and celebrate them.

For Kristin D’Agostino, a member of the Better Streets Project, she feels Americarna is too focussed on cars and not the community itself, even though last year’s event saw 10,000 Kiwis attend on the Saturday alone.

From our point of view, community is the very heart and soul of car culture in New Zealand, especially when it comes to American muscle cars with other events like Beach Hop – one of the biggest of its kind in the world – bringing together more than 100,000 people every year.

Americarna will run from February 21 to 24, 2024, and will see hundreds if not thousands of cars visit towns across Taranaki including Opunake, Waitara, Inglewood, Stratford, and Hawera, before heading to New Plymouth where the CBD will be closed off on Friday night and Saturday for participants to display their vehicles.