The name "A Rocha" comes from the Portuguese word for ‘The Rock'.  The first A Rocha project was established in Portugal by two British Christians who were keen on birdlife and who wanted to create a place where people involved in practical conservation projects, scientific research and environmental education could experience God's love for all He has made. A Rocha projects are now established in 16 countries around the world, and we plan to establish a local branch (soon to be incorporated as a charitable trust) in Aotearoa-NZ.  A Rocha projects have a community emphasis, bringing together people from widely differing backgrounds to work together towards common goals.

A Rocha Aotearoa-NZ seeks to reach out to both the church and un-churched in their mission to care for the World that God made ("Demonstrating God's love for the earth"). We recognise that there is a biblical mandate for Christians to participate in Creation care, but that at present conservation is not emphasised by the churches, even though New Zealanders in general are environmentally aware and have a sense of being connected to the world and care of creation.

A Rocha did not begin out of a conviction that there was a need for more conservation projects. Rather it began with two Christians who were passionate about creating bridges between the church and a society in which many people felt that the church is either not relevant to the world they care about, or else is incomprehensible or impenetrable. A Rocha projects have a mission - reaching out to the non-Christian world by creating a place where non-Christians can work within a Christian organisation - discovering a God who actually cares about what they care about too, and getting to know Him better through exploring more of the extraordinary world He made.

A Rocha also has a mission to the church - to wake it up from its apathy towards the non-human world. To draw together Christians who feel that the created world is an essential element in their relationship with God and to encourage the church to live out God's call to care for creation. A Rocha Aotearoa-NZ recognises that many Christians in NZ are already concerned about environmental issues. We want to minister to those people also, and give them a place they can turn to if they want to act on their concerns. Many New Zealand Christians are involved in secular conservation initiatives but not many of those organisations recognise God as the creator. A Rocha provides a central base where God's people can share their passion for the natural world. A place that recognises we are all participating in God's work to care for creation and also worship the creator, something that is always at the centre of every A Rocha project.

As Christians, we have a great deal to answer for regarding our treatment of the earth. A still-common perception among non-Christians is that the Christian worldview is responsible for the environmental mess we are in. We have an opportunity not only to overturn this misunderstanding, but also to offer solutions that the conservation movement desperately needs. Christianity, because it bases the reason for protecting species in the love God has for the Earth, offers a real solution with a moral imperative to act. Furthermore, Christianity offers a unique hope for creation that the non-Christian world cannot offer - Christ's power to restore ALL things, and to reconcile ALL things to God. But all this requires that we do act!

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