Stories

Yendarra's story is extraordinary in the simple, yet revolutionary way that they have changed what their children drink and eat and the impact this has had not only on their children's well-being, but also their families and wider community. Becoming a ‘water only’ school in 2006 and focusing on 'real food' they have dramatically reduced…

Healthy Village Actions Zones (HVAZ) is an innovative framework for collaborative action by key stakeholders and Pacific communities, joining together to improve health outcomes for Pacific peoples. The HVAZ framework is informed by the best elements and learning’s from previous community and church-based health initiatives, Pacific concepts of community well-being, and an understanding of the…

Whanganui Hospital’s Espresso Plus and The Top Café are introducing further healthy food options to its daily menu for staff and visitors. The decision to do so is in response to the Whanganui District Health Board’s (WDHB) recently reviewed Nutrition Policy which states that 70 percent of food sold on WDHB premises must be healthy.…

By Shane Ngatai The student council at Rhode Streeet School approached local dairy owners in 2014 and asked them to refrain from selling lollies and sugar-sweetened drinks to students in school uniform. Three local dairies agreed and principal, Shane Ngatai, has noted visible reductions in the consumption of lollies and sugar-sweetened beverages on site. He…

By Pat Broomhall At Rhode Street School we pride ourselves on teaching our students to promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. We promote healthy eating through healthy cooking. We grow our food, we cook our food and we love to eat our food. Each child from 5 -14 years old learns to work in…

By Judith Forbes Bayfield High School has recently made a number of positive, healthy changes to their school food policy and service. Led by two student groups, The Health Promotion Committee and the Enviro-group, and a teacher "champion" the school canteen has been transformed radically from a somewhat unfriendly, unwelcoming place selling mostly pre-packaged high-sugar…

By Kelly Richards A year ago a group of dentists, dental therapists and health promoters formed a group called 'Choose Water Hawke's Bay'. The group meet to discuss the issues around the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages in our schools. A strategic plan was implemented and the first action would be to put a presentation…

By Nelson Hampden Street School Nelson Hampden Street school has swapped chocolate for toothbrushes as a novel fundraiser which also carries a positive message. Hampden Street School pupils are selling toothbrushes to raise money for their school and raise awareness about good oral health.

By HFF Trust The Healthy Future Families (HFF) Trust attend community events such as Creekfest, church gatherings, and cultural and community festivals to promote healthy lifestyle choices among people and their community. Our sugar-sweetened beverage display always attracts people, showing them exactly how much sugar is in these drinks. We have used these opportunities to…

By HFF Trust The Healthy Future Families (HFF) Trust lead the Wellington Child Obesity & Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Network, which is a group of over 90 multi-disciplinary professionals who share our concerns, meeting twice a year to share ideas and promote interdisciplinary collaboration. The HFF Trust is run by a passionate group of health…

By HFF Trust The Healthy Future Families (HFF) Trust work with the Garden to Table Trust to implement the Garden to Table Programme at four Wellington Primary Schools. Through fundraising activities we have raised money to support the costs of setting up and embedding the programme in four low decile schools. We also provide curriculum-linked…

By HFF Trust We work with sports organisations to facilitate and support the removal of junk food rewards for sporting achievement, and provide displays promoting healthy lifestyles, diabetes awareness and education at a number of Wellington sports facilities. We also support a community organisation called Tahi Fitness who deliver healthy lifestyle programmes to at risk…

By HFF Trust We worked with Capital and Coast District Health Board to implement a Healthy Food policy which came into force in 2013. Following work driven by Regional Public Health, a new healthy food policy has recently been approved covering the provision of food and beverages to staff and visitors at all 3 DHB’s…

By HFF Trust The Healthy Future Families (HFF) Trust provide evidence-based healthy lifestyle programmes in workplaces. These mostly take the form of seminars or lunchtime sessions, addressing aspects such as healthy eating, physical activity, and insights into how to avoid unhealthy behaviours that are hidden within our obesogenic environment. Organisations and businesses we have worked…

By HFF Trust The Healthy Future Families (HFF) Trust use our fundraising activities to enthusiastically promote healthy lifestyle choices. These have included: two special screenings of That Sugar Film in May 2015, where we attracted over 250 people; a gala evening with a health promotion message; and supporting a team of sponsored runners in the…

By Sarah Turpitt Amisfield School approached the Tokoroa Hospital Dietary department with the idea of providing healthy school lunch orders. They had recently closed their canteen and wanted to offer healthier options to the students. Together we have developed a range of healthy packed lunches and hot meals that we are piloting across three primary…

By HFF Trust The Healthy Future Families (HFF) Trust are working with Wellington City Council (WCC) to establish a Healthy Food environment, both for employees of the council, as well as for the general public using council facilities such as libraries and sports facilities. We also provide evidence-based healthy lifestyle seminars for WCC employees, as…

By Judith Yeabsley Although I've always been very passionate about providing healthy food for my own children I have realised how much the food environment influences children's choices. In the state primary school my boys attend we have begun to change an entrenched culture of junk by providing healthy food choices at any school event.…

The Garden to Table programme is changing the way children approach and think about food. All around the country, we want to see children enthusiastically getting their hands dirty and learning how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, seasonal food. There are currently 30 schools enrolled in the Garden to Table programme. There are…

By Sarah Conroy Here at Council I am on a committee that organises an annual Waitangi Day Picnic where approx. 2000 people attend we have free BBQ Lunch/ Hangi/ Icecreams and hot and cold drinks. This year I only ordered mini water bottles as the cold drink options rather than the x50 slabs of 24pack…

Ban on sale of sugary drinks from all MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB) premises started on 7 April 2015. The ban covers soft drinks, sugary fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy and other drinks where sugar is added to the beverage before sale. Low or no-sugar drinks such as water, unflavoured milk, tea, coffee and artificially…

Sugary drinks have been banned at Nelson and Wairau Hospitals. In what was hailed as a national first, a change in the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board's healthy eating policy means that all drinks sweetened with sugar were taken off the shelves at cafes and shops on hospital grounds. Soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks…