As part of its mission to make Jesus Christ known, the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to caring for creation. We are captivated by the vision of a new heaven and earth coming into being through the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
At General Assembly 2025, we are taking intentional steps to reduce our environmental impact as part of our call to care for God’s creation. These choices remind us that even simple, practical actions can witness to the hope we have in Christ for a renewed world.
We celebrate the value of being together in one place – worshipping, discerning, and encouraging one another as the wider Church. At the same time, we recognise that travel creates one of our biggest environmental impacts. To care for creation, we are encouraging participants to carpool and share transport wherever possible.
Alongside this, we are taking other intentional steps to reduce our environmental footprint. Here are some of the ways we are putting this into practice together:
- We have partnered with motels and hotels in the local area to provide discounted rates for GA attendees. All these motels and hotels are within walking distance to Assembly, allowing attendees to walk rather than Uber.
- All cutlery and crockery will be reusable and not disposable – either from St Paul’s or hired.
- Recycling, waste and green bins will be availble throughout the venue and will be clearly labeled to encourage correct disposal of waste.
- Meals are being prepared by the St Pauls’ onsite catering team, and will be prepared according to the number of attendees. The team will work to reuse leftovers appropriately.
- The St Paul’s building has electric heating sources.
- GA attendees are being encouraged to view the White Book online. There is an additional fee for printed materials to encourage this further.
- Water coolers will be available throughout the venue and attendees are being encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles.