Kahikatea Kids - A new creation care programme for children
By Di Johnston, Christchurch Eco Church Coordinator.
It was exciting to pilot Kahikatea Kids, a brand-new school holiday programme designed to help children explore what it means to care for creation as part of our Christian faith. Based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, this nature-based day camp ran from 1–4 July and was created for tamariki aged 8–12. Each day we headed out to a variety of local natural spaces to play, learn, and connect with God’s world.
Grounded in the kaupapa of creation care, the programme gave tamariki a chance to experience the wonders of nature while exploring how faith and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. With games, stories, bush walks, cooking, and conservation activities, the rhythm of each day allowed time for fun, friendship, and reflection.
We began our week at Southshore Spit, where we explored the dunes and estuary edge — creating sand creatures inspired by the marine environment, playing games, and finding crabs, snails, and shrimps hiding in the mud.
On Day 2, we headed to Richmond Community Gardens, where tamariki jumped into gardening and urban sustainability — joining a community working bee, weeding, planting, feeding chickens, exploring the secret heat in mulch piles, and crafting.
Despite some cold winter weather, Day 3 at Sign of the Bellbird was a great experience. We cooked hot soup on outdoor cookers, and walked through the misty bush, listening to birdsong, learning about different plants, and reflecting on what it means to be kaitiaki (guardians) of the land.
On our final day, we travelled to Living Springs, where we joined the conservation team to learn about and check predator traps (finding a possum!), make rope from harakeke, and craft mini waka to float down the stream.
We’re so grateful to the amazing tamariki who brought energy, curiosity, and care each day, and to their supportive whānau who made this pilot possible. It was a joy to see children grow in confidence, try new things, and build deeper connections with each other and the environment.
Kahikatea Kids was developed as part of the A Rocha Eco Church project, with a vision of helping the next generation grow as caretakers of creation. We hope this is just the beginning of many more adventures to come!
