After witnessing more than 40 million people flee from war and disaster in the 1960s, the global Church began to rise up in a new way - putting faith into action worldwide by meeting the practical, human needs we all share.
Here in New Zealand, Kiwis began to show extravagant mercy to their global neighbours by stepping up financially and in prayer to address global poverty. By 1975, Tearfund New Zealand was born, and Kiwis like you haven’t stopped showing up for people in need around the world since. This year, as we celebrate 50 years of participating in God’s redemptive story, we want to pause and say thank you for the part you’ve played in this collective mission.
For 50 years, Tearfund has put faith into action, serving the most vulnerable people when they need it most.
1960s: When mercy became a movement
War and disaster displaced nearly 40 million people during the 1960’s, creating a global humanitarian crisis. In the UK, Christians saw the suffering and refused to look away. Stirred by powerful images and heartbreaking stories, they responded - not just with words, but with action -giving generously to the Evangelical Alliance. This began a radical shift in the Christian response to poverty and human suffering, focusing beyond salvation and prayer to meeting people’s urgent, practical needs. In 1972, the Evangelical Alliance officially launched Tearfund UK- the first of many Tearfund offices to come.
In 1967, Tearfund UK launched the provocative They Can’t Eat Prayer campaign, which challenged believers to rethink what it truly means to bring good news to the poor. Photo: Tearfund UK.
1975: The birth of Tearfund New Zealand
Led by the Evangelical Fellowship of New Zealand, this mercy movement continued to grow here on our shores as Kiwis embraced this hands-on approach to tackling poverty and injustice. Two years later, with a $10,000 grant from Tearfund UK and the generous support of local churches, Tearfund New Zealand was born. The first project, the construction of a village well in West Africa’s Guinea-Bissau,was a small but significant project and a powerful symbol of what was to come.
Today, Tearfund is one of New Zealand’s leading Christian aid and development agencies, all thanks to the unwavering generosity of people like you.
1986: Forging a united response with Compassion International
At the heart of our work is the belief that we are stronger together than we are alone. That’s why partnership has always been our foundation. In the 1980s, we began supporting programmes led by in-country church networks and Christian NGOs based on our belief that communities knew best how to meet their own needs. From small-scale community development projects to large-scale disaster responses, we saw God’s restorative justice at work in his world. No partnership has been as transformational as the one we began in 1986 with Compassion International, that is continuing to change tens of thousands of children’s lives through the power of child sponsorship. The response from Christians from all corners of New Zealand was overwhelming, and children began matching with compassionate Kiwi sponsors in droves.
Sri Lankan children are left destitute following the Asian Tsunami in 2004. Photo: Tearfund
2004: A defining moment that would change everything
A devastating earthquake and tsunami ripped across 15 countries from Sri Lanka to Indonesia in 2004, killing an estimated 230,000 people. It was the deadliest disaster of the 21st century. It was also a turning point in Tearfund New Zealand’s disaster response as compassionate Kiwis all over the nation responded massively to our call for support. Thanks to this outpouring of generosity, we were able to mobilise an unprecedented level of support to those affected as well as cement Tearfund in the hearts of New Zealanders as a trusted humanitarian organisation. The disaster also laid the foundation for the Integral Alliance, which we are still a part of today. This global alliance of more than 20 Christian aid organisations is committed to working together to respond to disasters and conflicts more effectively, each bringing our skills and expertise for maximum impact.
2008: Growing in impact
With the increasing support of Kiwis like you, Tearfund New Zealand was able to grow and focus on new areas of need: tackling modern slavery, and pioneering innovative farming and enterprise initiatives.
In 2008, Tearfund partnered with Share and Care Nepal to help stop human trafficking. Photo: Tearfund
Tackling human trafficking
Tearfund first partnered with International Justice Mission (IJM) in the 1990s on a small project to address human trafficking. But it wasn’t until 2008 when we began partnering with Share and Care in Nepal that we became a leading voice in New Zealand around this issue. In 2009, we further expanded to support Nvader (now LIFT International), a New Zealand-based organisation focusing on human trafficking. Through our partnership with LIFT, we’ve helped support local law enforcement to dismantle trafficking networks at their source, secure convictions, care for survivors, and advocate for policies that promote their protection. More recently, your support has enabled us to expand these anti-trafficking efforts into the Pacific to tackle the root causes of exploitation by helping families build sustainable livelihoods, which reduces their vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation.
Your support has helped war-affected widows and farmers in Sri Lanka rebuild their lives through life-changing dairy farming initiatives. Photo: Tearfund.
Transforming lives through farming and enterprise
For many communities around the world, smallholder farming is the most effective way to earn a living. However, farmers in low-income communities may hold the knowledge and skills, but lack access to the resources and financing needed to succeed. With support from Kiwis like you, Tearfund has pioneered innovative solutions to economic development like dairy farming initiatives in Sri Lanka and Self Help Groups in Ethiopia that have helped families move from subsistence to prosperity.
Looking to the future
For 50 years, the unwavering generosity of people like you has been the answer to our prayers on this pursuit for justice Every child sponsored, every time our partners have been there for people in need, and every life restored, has been made possible by churches and individuals across New Zealand who have chosen to put their faith into action and declare that poverty and injustice are not part of God’s plan - we are.
Thank you for standing with us. Your generosity has impacted hundreds of thousands of people you will never even meet in this life. And we believe we’re just getting started.
Here’s to another 50 years!
Learn more about our 50 years of faith in action!
50 years of impact