Members of St Michael’s Eco church group in Kelburn, Wellington have been supporting the Pukehinau Reserve biodiversity restoration project and were excited to be part of the opening of the new Pukehinau walking track between Kelburn and Aro Valley in November 2022.

‘How can church building projects be more sustainable and low carbon?’ was the question participants explored together in the recent A Rocha Eco Church kōrero on 24 March 2022. Participants from around the motu who are interested or involved in church building projects met together online to discuss experiences and options. The two key presenters were Caitlyn Lee, an architectural graduate working in the sustainable building industry, with experience and training in materials research, and Geoffrey Lee, project manager of Te Korōria - Karori Anglican’s new build project.

St Michael’s Anglican Church in Kelburn joined the Eco Church whānau in Dec 2021. It was not till March 2022 that they officially launched Eco Church at one of their services. Read on to find out some highlights from their Eco Church launch service which included presentations from their local community conservation group, student advocacy action for free fares, an eco quiz and a low-waste morning tea!

St Michael’s Anglican Church in Kelburn recently had a first go at calculating their church’s carbon emissions. We corresponded with Caitlyn Lee, a parishioner at St Michael’s who worked on the carbon calculation for the church about the process.