Not sure about this whole advocacy thing? Still wondering what it has to do with the gospel and Christian discipleship? Check out this great free resource— Biblical Advocacy 101 (Canada version) —from the CRC Office of Social Justice, World Renew, Bread for the World, and the Alliance to End Hunger. It offers a definition of Christian advocacy, the biblical basis for doing advocacy, success stories, and concrete instructions on how to do advocacy and how to make it most effective.

By collectively advocating for the caring of our environment we can help people, businesses and government make decisions that support good stewardship of the environment. Here are some the actions you could do to advocate for sustainability and the caring of creation:

• Local councillors - Regional, district and city councillors represent their communities and decide the funding priorities for their council. Research which councillors have an interest in the environment and sustainability issues. Make an appointment to meet with them to discuss issues that are important to you, your church and your community. Write a letter to them to capture some of these important issues.

• Submissions to local councils - Local councils frequently ask for submissions on specific issues or projects, as well as on their planning documents such as long-term plans, annual plans and sector strategies – anyone can provide feedback. Make a submission together as a church or a group of churches, or lead your local community in making a submission.

• Letters to MPs - Electorate MPs are keen to engage with the people in their electorate. They will usually have a local office and staff to help them with their duties. Contact your MP at their electorate office and liaise with their staff to arrange a meeting to share your concerns.

  • https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involved/have-your-say/contact-an-mp/

  • https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/write-your-mp

• Submissions to Select Committees - Select committees are small working groups, made up of MPs. They deal with specific issues and report their conclusions. Select committees can call for public submissions, particularly for a specific inquiry or before a parliamentary bill proceeds into law. Find out more here.

  • Did you know that many of the select committee meetings are open to the public to observe? You can go to Parliament to watch a select committee meeting or watch some committee meetings live on the select committee Facebook page.

  • https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/how-to-make-a-submission/

• Media - If you have a compelling and engaging story to tell, you can use media to help communicate your story. Research and find out which journalists cover news on sustainability issues and the environment. Don’t underestimate the value of local newspapers and radio. While smaller, they reflect local issues and reach the community.

  • https://communitycomms.org.nz/resources/media-relations/

  • How to write a media release (Ministry of Youth Development)

• Businesses - Write to businesses to urge them to be more sustainable for example in their packaging. Applaud them when they make a change for the environment.

  • Some tips from The Rubbish Trip on how to get businesses to reduce their waste.

Advocacy Resources and Groups

Common Grace Aotearoa - was set up in early 2023 to train, organise and mentor groups of people who are eager to learn why and how to organise social movements from a Christian perspective. As they 'learn by doing' in prayerful teams with supportive mentors, they will develop the skills to organise and train their own communities in future, building the capacity of the wider Church to participate in social movements for the common good.

350 Aotearoa - 350 is building a global grassroots climate movement that can hold our leaders accountable to the realities of science and the principles of justice. That movement is rising from the bottom up all over the world, and is uniting to create the solutions that will ensure a better future for all. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions bring together a global network active in over 188 countries.

Generation Zero - a youth-led climate justice organisation. We create open spaces for rangatahi to grow, learn and collectively create a climate-just Aotearoa. We do this by forming strong communities in our urban centres, grounded in hope, wellbeing and action. Our action consists of strong allyship in the justice space, especially as a tāngata Tiriti organisation, and community-based campaigning on climate related issues.

The Rubbish Trip - Be A Tirading Kiwi: An Everyday New Zealander’s Toolkit for Advocating on Waste Minimisation Issues

Global Catholic Climate Movement - Advocacy resources

JR McKenzie Trust - Advocacy and Lobbying Toolkit

Christian Aid - Letters for Creation school resources - use these lesson plans to unpack climate justice and explore how we can be courageous advocates for a sustainable and just future for the planet and for people everywhere. Designed for use in schools; it can also be used in a youth group setting.

Resources on Climate Justice

Kōrero Mai: Earth, Our Parish (2023) Te Aroha Rountree & George Zachariah (eds), Trinity Methodist Theological College, Auckland.

These eleven short chapters of Kōrero Mai: Earth, Our Parish provide valuable resources for reflecting on and responding to the climate injustice that we confront today. The book directs our attention to communities and groups that are already being devasted by climate change, and invites us to pause and examine some of the core aspects of the anthropology that underlies industrialisation and global warming. The book draws upon subaltern and Indigenous knowledges and activism to indicate how things could be otherwise.

- Michael Mawson, Maclaurin Goodfellow Associate Professor, University of Auckland / Waipapa Taumata Rau

Relevant Eco Church stories