Our Mission
Turn Passionate Outdoor Lovers into Effective Climate Advocates
Protect Our Winters Aotearoa is a community of outdoor enthusiasts, athletes, scientists, partnering businesses and individuals taking action to advocate for policy solutions to climate change. We believe that our love for the natural environments where we live, work, and play, calls us to stand together to protect them—now and for the future.
Our story
Working towards a thriving future for our whenua (land), hapori (communities) and maunga (mountains)
Protect Our Winters was founded in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, who witnessed firsthand the impact of climate change on mountains worldwide. With no organisations addressing the specific vulnerability of the winter sports community, he created POW to bridge that gap. Since then POW has expanded well beyond winter into a global movement with over 130,000 supporters, spanning outdoor experiences in all seasons.
POW Aotearoa launched in 2018, joining this worldwide network with a distinctly Kiwi angle. In a country so heavily connected and reliant on our natural environment, we believe New Zealanders have a critical opportunity, and responsibility, to influence climate outcomes before it’s too late.
why it matters
We all need Winter
Climate change is already reshaping New Zealand’s winters. Snowlines are rising, winters are becoming shorter, and our glaciers are retreating rapidly—having already lost a third of their snow and ice since 1977. The snowsports and outdoor industries, along with the communities they support, face serious risks if we don’t act now.
What We Do
1. Education
2. community engagement
3. advocacy
1. We develop programs and resources that make climate science + advocacy accessible and actionable.
2. From events to social media, we unite the outdoor community around a shared goal–protecting the places we love.
3. We work with policymakers, businesses, and partners to push for real, systemic climate solutions.
Whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, tramper, mountain biker, or simply love our wild spaces, you can make a difference. Climate change threatens what we love—let’s protect it together.