Christ Church Ellerslie’s church whānau and wider community came together to rejuvenate the church grounds, planting native species to support birds, insects and other urban wildlife.

A friendly rivalry between two Dunedin Eco Churches has their tamariki counting garden birds as part of the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey, swapping challenges and competing for a recycled-metal kiwi trophy. Find out which church’s sparrows carried the day in 2026.

A group of tamariki braved three wet winter days to light fires, bake bread, investigate stream life and plant trees with Kahikatea Kids – discovering God’s creation through curiosity, perseverance and hands-on care.

Members of St Christopher’s Tawa joined the Willowbank Reserve Care Group for a Service Sunday, working on both sides of the local streams to weed, plant and care for this much-loved community reserve.

After a decade of restoration work in Landsdowne Valley, South West Baptist has begun a fresh six-year planting partnership at Westmorland West – continuing its restoration story with new energy, new partnerships, and a hillside ready for renewal.

On a bright winter’s day, Cashmere Presbyterian Church began caring for a section of Ōhinetahi Bush Reserve on the Port Hills of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Supported by the Summit Road Society and the Student Volunteer Army, the church’s Eco Church team planted native trees and committed to ongoing stewardship — a shared act of faith, community, and environmental care.

What began as simple weeding and clearing has grown into something much deeper. On a warm Sunday morning in Whanganui, youth, families, and neighbours gathered for hands-on restoration—and found themselves building community, nurturing their faith, and practising kaitiakitanga together. Discover how a small gully regeneration project is transforming both the land and the people who care for it.

Around 20 people from eight local churches joined together in Napier to care for God’s creation through a beach clean-up. Volunteers collected everything from small plastics to large debris — even spotting a dotterel’s nest along the way. It was a warm day filled with teamwork, care, and connection, showing that local churches are ready to roll up their sleeves for the environment and the wellbeing of our shared home.

At Praxis, caring for creation is becoming part of the organisation’s DNA. Through their ARO framework — Assess, Reduce, Offset — this national youth work NGO is learning what it means to turn toward creation as followers of Jesus, integrating care for the earth into everyday formation and practice. At our recent Eco Church Partners Kōrero, Praxis director Murray Shearer shared how this journey is shaping youth work, theology, and culture — helping young people reconnect with creation, each other, and the Creator.

Across September and October, Alexandra Corps joined churches across Aotearoa in celebrating the Season of Creation, reflecting on the theme Peace with Creation. The Corps community embraced practical care for the environment — from a Kids Church worm farm project to a community planting day at Eden Gardens — and joined fellow Eco Church, Alexandra, Clyde and Lauder Union Parish for outdoor worship in the gardens. Together, they expressed their ongoing commitment to caring for God’s creation.

During this year’s Season of Creation, All Saints’ Anglican Church in Dunedin demonstrated its ongoing commitment to caring for God’s earth through hands-on community action. Parish members joined with the Student Christian Movement to plant 145 native trees on a South Otago farm, helping regenerate native forest and restore riparian habitats. Later in the month, a smaller group took to Te Awa o Ōwheo (the Leith) for a local river clean-up, reflecting the parish’s deep connection to this waterway and its place in the church’s story. Together, these actions embodied All Saints’ vision of faith expressed through stewardship, community, and hope for creation’s renewal.

From building rat traps to sharing home-grown vegetables, the St George’s Epsom community is finding creative ways to live out Eco Church values. This story highlights youth-led conservation and a new approach to food growing that supports both creation care and local food security.