7 July 2015

Healthy Families NZ launched in Invercargill

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has welcomed the launch of Healthy Families Invercargill.

“Healthy Families NZ will improve people's health where they live, learn, work and play, as a way to prevent obesity and chronic illness," says Dr Coleman.

“The initiative encourages people to live healthier lives by making good food choices, being physically active, moderating alcohol and being smoke-free.

“Healthy Families NZ aims to move away from small disconnected short term projects to sustainable programmes with large scale reach across the community driven from a local level.”

Invercargill is the second community to implement the programme following the launch of Healthy Families East Cape in April.

$1.9 million is being invested into Healthy Families Invercargill over four years. The lead provider, Sport Southland, has established a governance group of local leaders from across the community.

“Sport Southland has strong linkages in the community. There are already a number of local initiatives underway which are delivering results and have the potential to be up-scaled across the region,” says Dr Coleman.

“For example, Volleyball Southland encourages families to get involved in physical activity whilst highlighting healthy nutrition needs and the benefits of reducing tobacco and alcohol use.

“Sanford Bluff plans to roll out Work Well, a successful workplace health programme currently run in the Bay of Plenty.”

Budget 2014 allocated $40 million over four years to support Healthy Families NZ in ten communities. The programme will reach one million Kiwis.
It will be launched this year in the Far North, Lower Hutt, Rotorua, Whanganui, Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura, Spreydon-Heathcote, and Waitakere.

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