Social Justice Week
Social Justice Week 2026: We'd love your feedback
We hope Social Justice Week was a meaningful and inspiring time for your school community. Thank you to every teacher, student and whānau who took part. It has been wonderful hearing about the many ways schools brought this year's theme to life.
We'd be grateful if you could take about five minutes to complete our short feedback survey. Your responses help us understand what worked well and what could be better, and they directly shape the resources we develop for Social Justice Week 2027.
What schools got up to
St Therese School, Auckland
Year 7/8 students created belonging posters based on the Six Word Story lesson from the Social Justice Week resource pack, each one as unique as the student who made it.
St Pius X School, Melville
Students created their own woven threads, each strand a reminder that no one stands alone and that we each contribute something essential to the whole.
St Mark's Catholic School, East Auckland
Year 1/2 students created a "We Belong to God" artwork, with each child's piece a reminder that "I am an important piece of God's family."
Our Lady of the Assumption School, Christchurch
Our youngest learners in Years 0 and 1 created stunning woven artwork and talked together about how we belong: to God, to each other and to creation.
St Joseph's School, Feilding
Student leader Millie from the Ākonga Council organised a can drive for the local food bank at Manchester House. Students learned that even a small donation can help someone in their community feel seen, loved and valued.
St Joseph's School, Pukekohe
Every child and staff member wrote their name on a strip of paper, and the strips were woven together into one striking "We All Belong" display, alongside photos capturing the life of the school.
Aquinas College, Tauranga
Students brought the theme to life with vibrant visual displays around the school, sharing the message of belonging with the whole college community.
St Mary's School, Avondale
Tamariki explored what it means to belong through three activities: building their school and classroom out of Lego, writing six-word stories, and reflecting on The Invisible String and their connection to God and to one another.
You Belong | Nō Konei Anō Koe
Sunday, 6 – Saturday, 12 September
This year we begin a three-year journey exploring what it means to truly belong — to God, to one another, and to creation — starting with the first and most important thread: we belong to God, made on purpose, fully known, and unconditionally loved.
Pope Leo XIV reminds us that every person carries a dignity that is not earned and not given by others but woven into us by the God who made us. In Aotearoa New Zealand, this truth echoes in the idea of tūrangawaewae — a place to stand, a place to belong. Wherever we come from, whoever we are, we are held by a God who knows our name and calls us home.
Education resources include:
Background Notes for Teachers
Daily Prayers
Learning Activities
Achievement Objectives Highlighted
Poster
Woven Thread - 2026 theme element
Liturgy (Notes and Slides)
Caritas Stories and Videos
Catholic schools around New Zealand will receive hard copies of the poster which will be used over the next 3 years along with the 2026 focus “woven thread” element -
You belong to God | Nā Te Atua anō koe.
Please feel free to order more posters or woven threads by contacting education@caritas.org.nz.
Key Messages
CST Connection: Human Dignity
You are made in the image of God.
Before your name, your story, your best days or your hardest ones - you carry something extraordinary. You are made in the image and likeness of God. That is where your worth begins. That is where it stays. That is why every person matters - not because of what they achieve or what they are given, but simply because of who made them.
Key Resources
Caritas Stories and Videos
Mannie and the River | Ko Mannie me te Awa
Watch this video to listen to the amazing story of Mannie the deer, the Caritas mascot for Human Dignity.
Join Mannie as he journeys alongside the river and discovers a powerful truth: that his identity, worth and belonging come from God. Through this beautiful story, we are reminded that each of us is created in the image and likeness of God, deeply loved and called to belong.
Caritas Story: Lebanon | He Paki nā Caritas: Repanona
Watch these videos to find out more about the situation in Lebanon.
Discover how staff from Caritas Lebanon are practically supporting those in need and showing love to others to help them find belonging again.
All We Want is Peace | Nadia’s Story
Caritas Story: Taybeh | He Paki nā Caritas: Taybeh
Watch these videos to find out more about the situation in Taybeh.
Discover how Caritas helps people in one of the last entirely Palestinian Christian Villages in the West Bank to remain connected to their community and provides support that enables families to continue living and thriving in their homeland.
Settlers Set Fire to Historic Christian Palestinian Village
Reaching Hard-to-Access Areas with Emergency Support in Lebanon
Voices from Aotearoa - God Delights in You
Taybeh - A Christian Village in the West Bank
Voices from Aotearoa - You Were Made on Purpose
Voices from Aotearoa - You are Fully Known and Fully Loved
Bishop Steve Lowe - Reflections on Social Justice Week
Voices from Aotearoa - Every Person has Human Dignity
Supporting Displaced Families in Lebanon - A Personal Perspective
Christian village in occupied West Bank faces settler attacks as clergy urge urgent global action
Voices from Aotearoa | He Reo mai i Aotearoa
Watch these videos from a number of people from our Catholic community across Aotearoa as they share their personal responses to five questions related to the key messages for Social Justice Week 2026 - You Belong to God.
Voices from Aotearoa - In God, You Always Have a Place to Belong
Sharing Together
We would love to see what your students create during Social Justice Week. Share their contributions with us at education@caritas.org.nz — and we will share them with schools across Aotearoa.
Previous Years Resources:
2025: Imagine Peace For All / Let’s Build Peace Together!
2024: Imagine Peace For All /Choose Forgiveness, Know Peace
2023: Imagine Peace For All / Peace Begins With You!
2022: Say No to Racism. We are One in Christ
2021: A Culture of Encounter: Be the Church
2020: Easy as CST: unlocking the Church’s Potential
2019: Fair, You Say? Seeking fairness in an unfair world
2018: Enabling Communities. Everyone has a part to play
