Vision Statement
To be a leading marine conservation organisation and a voice for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand to protect our marine environment.
Mission Statement
To protect New Zealand’s coastal and marine ecosystems through advocacy, education, and environmental stewardship, ensuring that they are managed sustainably and protected for future generations.
About Us
Our Seas Our Future is a 100% volunteer-run and non-profit marine conservation organisation based in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
With nationwide operations, OSOF operates based on a volunteer-driven model, focusing on coastal and marine conservation, environmental education, and community engagement projects.
The idea that gave rise to the OSOF initiative still drives us today; we are all stewards of our marine environment, and how we treat our environment now will shape the world we are living in tomorrow; the health of our seas is intertwined with our future.
Our History
Late 2011 to Mid 2016…
OSOF was founded in November 2011 by Noel Jhinku, and had its origins as a social media campaign to raise awareness of the marine environment and to engage the ever-growing online community to learn more about their marine ‘backyard’. In 2012, OSOF established a Dunedin branch and began running coastal clean-up events to engage with local communities to take care of their coastal and marine environment. These clean-up events became the first of the OSOF campaigns to focus on ‘hands-on’ environmental action. From 2013, additional campaigns were added to the OSOF initiative, including involvement in marine environment related policy submissions, digital content creation, and the establishment of community-based environmental education projects. In 2014, OSOF established a branch in the Auckland region with a focus on environmental education outreach within schools and community groups, and soon after, in 2015, the Wellington branch was established.
Mid 2016 to Present…
In mid 2016, the Our Seas Our Future Trust Board was formed and incorporated to administrate the organisation, and soon after, registered as a New Zealand Charity.
In 2018, additional regions of activity were established in Christchurch and Hawke’s Bay, to complement Dunedin, Wellington, and Auckland.
You can view our current Trust Board members here: Our Seas Our Future Trust Board
Today our projects are varied and focus on digital campaigns, hands-on community-based events. environmental education, and policy related work. These projects are led by volunteers who are trained experts in their respective fields.