Message from the Moderator
The church is passionate about hospitality; it has a long tradition of gathering to feast and graciously making people welcome. When we share a simple tea or coffee with our neighbours, we are enriched through fellowship. Sharing in small ways can lead to sharing the big, and often joyful events in our communities, as well as the harder times when we are grateful our neighbours are there for us. I encourage you to intentionally offer hospitality to your neighbours during Neighbours Aotearoa month (1-31 March) and join other churches throughout the country nurturing local connection.
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household." Ephesians 2:19
I encourage you to see our Church website for Neighbours Aotearoa resources which include an offer for churches to enter a draw for supermarket gift cards, a poster to download for noticeboards, lots of examples of how churches can celebrate with their communities, and links to Presbyterian Support regions events.
Ngā manaakitanga
Rose
Right Rev Rose Luxford - Moderator Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
Parishes, enter draw for one of 17 $50 supermarket gift cards
PresCare - the PCANZ and Presbyterian Support New Zealand - have 17x $50 supermarket gift cards to help our churches to share hospitality with their local communities. To enter the draw email angela@presbyterian.org.nz by 5pm, 25 Feb with:
- name of your PCANZ church
- contact person
- physical address (no box delivery available)
- how you will use a $50 card
- if you need to have a NW or Pak'nSave only card
Gift cards will be allocated to 10 PCANZ parishes located anywhere in NZ, and one per the seven Presbyterian Support regions.
Ideas for how your church can participate during March
Celebrate with neighbours during March in whichever way best suits you and your community: host a BBQ; picnic; pizza party; potluck; beach day; host or contribute to a foodbank; hold a crop swap; share baking and muffins;
host a dinner/lunch/brunch/breakfast/morning tea or afternoon tea; share parish veggies, seedlings; host cooking/preserving/fermenting lessons.. there are so many ways to share hospitality, get creative!
See the Neighbours Aotearoa website for more 2025 ideas and resources here.
Download 2025 Moderator's message & poster
Events
Share your event and inspire others, email your event to PCANZ Comms and it will be added to the PresCare Neighbours Aotearoa webpage.
An upcoming event you are welcome to attend is on 15 March, when Presbyterian Support Northern's Communities Feeding Communities Initiative and The Storehouse, a Northern Presbytery faith community, will host a morning tea and crop swap.
Check out inspiring events and ideas from past PresCare Neighbour Aotearoa years here (see left hand menu).
About Neighbours Aotearoa - formerly Neighbours Day
Started in 2009, Neighbours Aotearoa runs the entire month of March and is a collaborative campaign organised and supported by Lifewise, Inspiring Communities, The Mental Health Foundation, Christchurch Methodist Mission, New Zealand Red Cross, Neighbourhood Support New Zealand, Kāinga Ora, Auckland Council and Housing New Zealand.
Formerly Neighbours Day, Neighbours Aotearoa is a community development initiative dedicated to growing, connecting and strengthening neighbourhoods across the country. It is a place-based and local approach – neighbours linking up in their local communities. Each year in March they encourage everybody to do something small - or large! - to know a neighbour a bit better.