Te Ringatini: Our Journey in Environmental Stewardship at The River Ōpāwaho
By James Beck
At The River Ōpāwaho Church, we hold a deep conviction that our faith calls us to care for God’s creation, not just in words, but through tangible actions. As a part of the Eco Church Aotearoa network, we believe that environmental stewardship is core to Christian discipleship. This belief has found expression in a project we call Te Ringatini. Through this initiative, we’ve committed ourselves to the regeneration of a stretch of the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River, embodying the biblical mandate to “tend and keep” the earth (Genesis 2:15) and demonstrating that the care of creation is an essential part of our mission as followers of Christ.
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.
At The River Ōpāwaho, we regularly ask ourselves a couple of questions, “What is God saying to you?” and “What are you going to do about it?” Every Sunday as we gathered in those subsequent months, I would reflect on those questions, and every time, God would remind me about this calling. I spent a long time wrestling with my doubts about my ability to try something like this and my lack of skills, time or knowledge, but over time, I came to see that God wasn’t asking for expertise, but for someone willing to step out in faith. And so, after nearly a year of this internal struggle, I finally reached out to the Christchurch City Council to explore how our church community could get involved in restoring the river.
July 26, 2020, marked the official launch of the river regeneration project. By then, the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted our normal rhythms of worship and community, forcing us to rethink what it meant to be the church. And in that context, the call to care for creation was transformed into action. We realised that we had a perfect opportunity to experiment with the belief that our mission isn’t confined to a building - it extended into the whole of creation.
On that first day, 40 of us gathered at the Donkey Track. We named our group "Te Ringatini," meaning "the many hands," recognising that while our efforts might seem small, they were part of something much larger than ourselves. We began with mihi, prayer and a short devotion which grounded our work in the belief that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). Then, we got to work - clearing weeds, planting natives, and restoring the creation as an act of worship of the creator.
Over the years, Te Ringatini has grown into a flourishing expression of our eco-theological commitments. We’ve removed vast amounts of weeds, allowing native species to regenerate naturally, a tangible sign of God’s renewing power at work in creation. Within six months, we saw the first fruits of our labour as seeds from trees planted in the 1990s began to germinate again. To date, we’ve also planted over 5,000 native trees and plants along the Donkey Track, transforming the area into a thriving ecosystem for wildlife.
Our success has been made possible through partnerships with the Christchurch City Council, the Tūī Corridor project funded by Meridian Energy, the Ōpāwaho Heathcote River Network and support from the wider community. These relationships have been a powerful reminder that creation care is a collective responsibility - a calling that invites all people to participate in God’s work of renewal.
As Te Ringatini has grown, so too has our vision for the future. With the Donkey Track reserve now thriving, we’re exploring new ways to expand our efforts. In collaboration with the University of Canterbury and Christchurch City Council, we’re envisioning an indigenous bush corridor that would connect our project to other nearby regeneration efforts. This corridor would not only enrich biodiversity but could also encourage the return of native bird species like the tūī to our urban areas.
Te Ringatini is more than just an environmental project - it’s a living out of our eco-theology. For us at The River Ōpāwaho, the restoration of the Donkey Track is a reflection of our belief that creation is a sacred gift, entrusted to our care. As we’ve stepped out of our church building and into the world, we’ve discovered new ways to embody the good news of Jesus, both in our community and in the land itself. Guided by the conviction that the church is called to be a compelling force for good, we continue to lead by example, showing that even the smallest hands can participate in God’s plan to renew and restore all things.
