Please Care for Our Common Home

Open Letter to all 2026 Political Leaders, Candidates and Officers of Parliament 

From Aotearoa New Zealand Faith Communities

Kia ora koutou katoa, greetings to you all.

We attach an open letter to all our political leaders and candidates in the forthcoming General Election. It is a statement offered on behalf of people of faith in Aotearoa New Zealand, calling for urgent action on the drivers and impacts of climate change. Because these drivers and impacts affect so many parts of our environment and society, our hope is that our new decision-makers also do what they can to look after our beautiful land and, where appropriate, the world beyond our shores. The letter is also being shared with all New Zealanders, particularly those with a faith affiliation, who can help encourage this hope through our vote.

The letter has been developed by the Climate Action Group of the Religious Diversity Centre Aotearoa New Zealand (RDC) from leaders and adherents of diverse faiths in Aotearoa NZ, their congregations and institutions. It comes with significant input from expert peer reviewers and the RDC Trustees, together representing the diversity of the major faiths of Aotearoa NZ.

The voices of faith communities in Aotearoa NZ are numerous and significant. We have a major opportunity to act on climate change and its serious consequences. We invite faith leaders to endorse this open letter, and encourage members of their faiths to do the same, in order to foster those policies which can nourish this land, its oceans and its peoples, and act on climate change.

Ngā mihi nui
Jenny te Paa Daniel PhD, RDC Co-Chair
Anthony Green, RDC Co-Chair
Paul Blaschke PhD, co-author and RDC Climate Action Group convenor
Richard Milne PhD, lead author

 Summary of key points in the open letter:


• Climate change poses grave risks to human flourishing and requires urgent responses from all of us
• People of faith and indigenous peoples have particular insights to offer in response
• The need for action provides challenges, opportunities and benefits for all New Zealanders
• In particular, strong national leadership is needed to harness our efforts
• This letter makes specific recommendations to politicians and other decision makers



You can read the Open Letter here.