About

Wide Open Spaces in a non-profit charitable trust operating in New Zealand. Our heart is to bring people closer to Jesus, by taking them into the wilderness as he did. God has used the wilderness many times to teach His people – the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert learning to rely on Him. Jesus regularly went into the wilderness to get away from distractions, to focus on His Father. Out there, with limited distractions, we can find the time and space to recognise his influence in our lives and come to see him clearer.

Some people ask ‘why outdoors?’, here is a great explanation:

‘Solitude and adventure has a significant place in any student ministry program that desires to see radical transformation. The more we invest in indigenous youth missions around the world, we become more convinced of this: If we are going to bring change to our cities and communities, and ultimately the hearts of hurting young people in our world today, we are going to need to find creative ways to quiet the noise for them so they can hear the Father’s voice. Transformation will begin when young people are able to hear the Gospel over the sounds of honking horns, thumping woofers, and angry stressed out parents.

Lets face it, video games, Itunes, the latest situation comedies and reality shows are not going to bring hope or life to young people. Yet this has become their food and drink. The airwaves have become the voices of truth that sing them to sleep at night. Yet consider this: Even in the much-less-technologically busy days of Jesus, even He, the Master, saw it necessary to spend a bulk of His time with a group of young people (His disciples) away from the noise of the city. He went out into the wilderness with them—teaching them how to once again hear the voice of their Heavenly Father. If Jesus made such a concerted effort to get His disciples out of the hustle and bustle to clean out their ears, and minister to their hearts in an era which was much less-technologically noisy than today, then we can certainly conclude that the need for helping kids quiet their souls is equally if not more important right now!’ http://www.project54.org

If you would like to contribute to our vision please contact us so we can dicuss our current needs.

We have support from Wilderness Ministry International for training and mentoring.

If you have any questions please contact Blair or Amy

Wide Open Spaces Trust

+64 3 347 2241

wideopenspacesnz@gmail.com