The first quarter of 2025 is nearly complete, and the Healthy Families South Auckland team at Auckland Council has been busy. Here’s what has been happening:
Welcoming new team members
Ray joins us as Lead Systems Innovator, bringing extensive experience in strategic leadership and stakeholder engagement, particularly in Pacific health. His recent work with the Ministry for Pacific Peoples saw him play a key role in the Government’s response and apology for the Dawn Raids, demonstrating his deep connection to the South Auckland community.
Mel comes on board as a Systems Innovator, with a strong background in tobacco control, Pacific public health, and mental wellbeing. She has worked with Le Va, National Pacific Mental Health, Hāpai te Hauora, and Te Whatu Ora.
We’re also fortunate to have Roimata Taniwha-Paoo supporting us as Senior Advisor – Mātanga Ararau. Roimata, who is employed by Te Waka Kerewai but enabled through our investment, brings extensive expertise in Niho Taniwha, Hautū Waka, and Te Tokotoru.
Her role strengthens the capability of HFSA and other teams within Auckland Council’s Community Impact Unit by enhancing our understanding of mātauranga Māori and embedding wellbeing practice across both units’ work programmes. This collaboration between HFSA and Māori Outcomes Unit, co-designing the position description, interviews, and established a steering group to guide Roimata’s mahi, demonstrates our shared commitment to this kaupapa.
Food Hub Collective in Māngere
In February, the Food Hub Collective (FHC), previously operators of the Papatoetoe Food Hub, held their first event in collaboration with I Am Māngere. FHC served hāngī and fresh juices, many made from rescued produce sourced from a local supermarket.
Healthy Families South Auckland is currently supporting the FHC and I Am Māngere through Council processes to ensure their mahi continues to thrive. The event was funded by Auckland Council’s Climate Action and Waste Minimisation teams.
Good Food Road Map
The Good Food Road Map, a strategic framework and systems change to kai is set to be analysed by ImpactLab.
ImpactLab assesses social value by combining impact data with cost information to calculate a programme’s social return on investment. The Good Food Road Map was one of several initiatives chosen by Auckland Council’s Community Impact Unit for assessment.
This work will support building our evidence base to demonstrate the value we have either created or added in rebalancing local food systems.
Over the past five years, the Good Food Road Map has been adopted by South Auckland local boards, community organisations, as well as Healthy Families New Zealand, to ensuring New Zealanders have access to good food.
Healthy Families South Auckland on the water
We recently gathered for a two-day planning wānanga to reflect on our initiatives, kaupapa, and community impact, while also mapping out the year ahead.
There was an opportunity to step out onto the water at Ōkahu Bay and try waka ama, thanks to Dave Harriman from the Waitemata Waka Ama club. It was a great team-building experience, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and collective movement, connecting those lessons on the water to our work.
Healthy Families South Auckland is exploring potential opportunities to collaborate with Waka Ama NZ later this year.
Working with us over the two days was facilitator Dr. Nikki Penetito-Hemara from Kori Collab, who helped the team to unpack our kawa and tikanga to set the foundation of what Healthy Families South Auckland is in terms of its values and how it will operate over the next 18 months when it comes to community initiatives.
Also a big thank you to Teara Gillman of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Toi Ora for giving an inspiring kōrero around the health initiatives and outcomes they are doing for their iwi members.
“The aspiration for these two days was to ground the team in our own tikanga and kawa to ensure that we could propel our mahi over the next year and into 2026,” says Rereahu Collier, who, along with Matt Appleyard, organised the team hui.
“The aim is to reach our next big goal, our Hawaiki Hou, and with the planning and mapping of our work that we have achieved, especially with our new team members, we are on the right path to start 2025.”
