Rotorua Girls' High School's Geraldine Atchico said while they had the support of staff to strike, other students were willing to face disciplinary action for the cause and would still attend.
"It's quite disheartening it's come to this for our voices to be heard."
Lukas Scowen, who attended Western Heights High School, said the teenagers simply wanted to make a difference.
"We just want to make our future brighter for us and for our kids to come.
"We want to live in a clean, green, not just New Zealand, but a clean, green planet. We're trying to do our part before it's too late."
Jess Wharekua, who also attends Western Heights, said: "we should all be doing our part to save [the world]".
"It's our future. We care enough to miss an hour of school which isn't too much."
John Paul College's Shakera Fleet said their actions were one piece in a bigger picture.
"We're trying to make sure people understand what we're trying to do and spread it."
Student Maia Berryman-Kamp said the worldwide strike was about calling for governments to make sure people knew about climate change and what they could do to help.
The global movement was sparked by a 15-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, who decided last August to stay away from school until the Swedish general election on September 9.
She protested by sitting outside the Riksdag (Parliament) every day during school hours with a sign, "Skolstrejk för klimatet [School strike for climate]".
