NZ Health Promotion Held Up As International Best Practice

New Zealand Health Promotion Held Up As International Best Practice

Health promotion programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand are being held up as models of best practice this week at the annual conference of the world’s most highly respected health promotion organisation. Senior Health Promotion Strategists from the Health Promotion Forum (HPF) are participating at the conference of the International Union of Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) in Pattaya, Thailand, August 25-29.

Trevor Simpson – Deputy Executive Director at the HPF – will present a plenary session to showcase a health promotion module developed by Maori and in close collaboration with the Maori service users for whom it was being designed. “This is a point of difference from many other health promotion approaches to indigenous peoples,” says Trevor. Very often health promotion resources and practices are developed centrally, with little or no involvement of – or representation from - the people for whom they are being developed. “We have found our approach to be highly successful in inspiring and empowering people to make beneficial changes to their health.”

The HPF’s Senior Health Promotion Strategist Karen Hicks will present her abstract “A Contribution to the Global Dialogue”. In her presentation she will discuss how health promotion competencies, the advent of a professional society and a code of ethics together give health promotion professionals the tools they need to make effective improvements in health.

Both Karen and Trevor will also gather information on best health promotion practice around the world. Follow Karen and Trevor’s progress on Facebook.

New Zealand is strongly represented in health promotion globally. The HPF’s Executive Director, Sione Tu’itahi, is Vice-President of the South West Pacific Region of IUHPE, while Associate Professor Louise Signal, Director of the Health Promotion and Policy Research unit (HePPRU) and Health, Wellbeing & Equity Impact Assessment Research Unit (HIA), Department of Public Health, Otago University is its Regional Director. Together the HPF and HePPRU co-host the IUHPE’s South West Pacific Regional Office.

ENDS

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