For Healthy Families South Auckland, supporting healthier communities is not just about creating programmes, it is about strengthening the places, relationships and systems that shape everyday life.
Our ongoing partnership with Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is a strong example of this in action. Together, we have been exploring how rugby league clubs can evolve from places primarily focused on delivering sport, into thriving, year-round community settings that support the wellbeing of whanau. Rugby league clubs are already trusted spaces that bring generations of families together, making them a natural setting for prevention where people live, learn, work and play.
Following insights gathered directly from clubs, ARL has been co-designing solutions around four interconnected areas: stronger governance, sustainable volunteering, community hubs, and more resilient financial models. Importantly, clubs are not simply being consulted, they are helping design and lead the change, with ARL and Healthy Families providing the support around them.
This is where the systems opportunity becomes powerful. A stronger club is better positioned to create healthier environments beyond the game itself. The emerging Community Hub approach includes greater year-round use of club facilities, stronger connections with schools and churches, shared spaces with other sporting codes, and opportunities to support food, movement, mental wellbeing, and alcohol-harm prevention. Coaches, parents, faith leaders and volunteers are also being recognised and developed as trusted prevention leaders within their own communities.
The connections are also extending beyond individual clubs. Insights from the work are beginning to influence conversations with Council, schools, the Warriors, central government and the wider Healthy Families system, demonstrating how learning from communities can travel upwards and influence investment, policy and future ways of working.
Ultimately, the shift is bigger than rugby league. It is about building stronger community infrastructure around places where whānau already belong. When clubs have the leadership, people, resources and partnerships they need to thrive, they can become powerful contributors to healthier communities across South Auckland.