The story of Te Ringatini began in 2018 during one of my runs along the river. As I was going through the Donkey Track reserve, I was struck by the stark contrast between the established riparian planting and the invasive tradescantia weeds that were choking the understory. At that moment, amidst the beauty and the brokenness, I felt a divine nudge - a sense that God was calling me to help restore this piece of creation. I felt myself saying “Someone should do something about this” and I felt God respond “You should do something about this”. Yet I felt totally unprepared for the task that I sensed God was calling me into. 

On June 22, 2024, The 40 Hour Challenge Good News Project, brought together A Rocha, Eco Church and World Vision in a collaborative effort to regenerate native bush at Spencer Park in partnership with Christchurch City Council. This event aimed to engage local youth groups and inspire young Christians to take part in practical environmental action, creating a space where participants could hear the Good News and actively be the Good News through environmental restoration.

Christchurch's Urban Forest Plan is a Council-led and community-driven effort to create a greener, more equitable city. By planting, nurturing, protecting, and involving the community, Christchurch is well on its way to becoming a greener city - ensuring all of the benefits of trees are available for us and for generations to come. Churches are encouraged to contribute to a thriving urban forest by planting trees on their properties and engaging their congregations in environmental initiatives.

Cashmere Presbyterian Church in Christchurch have recently installed a bike rack at the front of their church. It’s a simple but impactful step which they hope will encourage both church members and community groups who meet at the church to choose a transport option which is healthier for people and kinder to the environment.

Youth Groups from across Christchurch (including from many eco churches) came together as part of The Good News Project to spread joy, hope and mulch, and we couldn't be prouder! Over 100 young people joined the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust and Christchurch City Council to help to regenerate native bush at Te Ihutai. Check out this highlights video of the project!

All Saints Burwood shared with us their journey so far as an Eco Church… and the little and big steps that have been made.

Over the school holidays, we held our first He Māhuri Tōtara gathering in Ōtautahi Christchurch. What a week it was! with rangatahi from across the motu coming to explore caring for creation, leadership, Te Ao Māori and the Bible, and how those things are connected. He Māhuri Tōtara is a Christian environmental leadership development courses are for young people, young adults and youth leaders. The course explores the unique environmental challenges and opportunities of our world and the biblical imperative to care for creation.

In April 2022, 120 solar panels were blessed and commissioned on the roof of Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, Ōtautahi Christchurch providing around 25% of the church’s energy needs. A strong motivation for the church in installing the solar panels was recognising the importance of creation care as an act of worship to God. Since the church has been generating their own renewable energy, carbon emissions from church activities have dropped significantly, enabling the church to more sustainably steward the resources God has generously entrusted to them.

After the May 2021 floods in Canterbury, the Papanui Baptist Earthcare Group checked on the riparian planting they did along the Ōtukaikino Stream in Sept 2020. They were relieved to find that their trees survived well, and are in fact thriving under a fresh bed of silt, and the first hints of new leaves are starting to appear!

In January this year, members of the St. Barnabas Youth Group exercised their faith and kaitiakitanga as they helped eradicate wilding pines. The camp took place at Glenroy Lodge near Hororata last weekend, with a Caring for Creation theme. The young people rolled up their sleeves and got involved in removing wilding pines from an area near Porters Ski Field entrance.

We all know the frustration of not being able to fix something that breaks. Why not let people share their fix-it knowledge and expertise, and run a Repair Café?

In October last year, The Village Presbyterian Church in Ōtautahi-Christchurch decided to tandem up a Repair Café event with our usual monthly Community Market Day. The idea was to have volunteers on hand to help fix broken items that members of the public brought along, thereby stopping stuff going to landfill.

At Grace, we want to play our part and make meaningful and environmentally sustainable choices when it comes to the products we use and companies we support. We’re excited to let you know some of the steps we’ve taken to become better stewards over the past year. We’ve been working closely with the leadership team and over the past few months, we’ve made some really exciting changes across our church – and we would love to share these with you.