Our Work

COVID-19

How COVID-19 changed our relationship with food and opportunities for systems change.

This report was done with the nine Healthy Families New Zealand locations, including Healthy Families South Auckland. It provides five key insights gathered during the first COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.

Healthy Families New Zealand Insights Report: How COVID-19 changed our relationship with food and opportunities for systems change

Explaining Systems Change

Healthy Families South Auckland focuses on a whole-of-community approach that makes sustainable and long-term changes to these systems which influence the health and wellbeing of families and communities.

Healthy Environments Approach

The Healthy Environment Approach is based on four simple health principles:

  •  Wai water is the easiest choice
  •  Good Kai for all
  • Champion Smokefree, Alcohol & Drug Free
  • Encourage movement

The principles approach have been adopted and supported by all four South Auckland Local Boards (Manurewa, Papakura, Ōtara-Papatoetoe and Māngere- Ōtāhuhu) since 2018. By having this Healthy Environment Approach, health promoting principles are beginning to be embedded into Local Board funded events and Auckland Council facilities.

Healthy Environment Visions and Principles

Research shows that the spaces we live, work and play in have a big part to play in supporting our general health. Our four practical principles are designed to be easy to implement and straightforward for communities who aspire to shift attitudes to start a culture change which considers and creates a healthy environment.

The Healthy Environment Principles and Event Guide

The Healthy Environment Principles and Event Guide are four practical principles designed to be easy to implement and come with options, tips and plenty of resources. This guide is for everyone involved in delivering Auckland Council events and is also applicable for community event organisers.

Healthy Environment Principles and Event Guide

Food & Drinks, events/Cafeteria/catering Guidelines

The Food and Drink Guidelines bring clarity to what types of food and drinks Auckland Council provide across different environments. Taking into account and responding to the varied environments in which the guidelines are being applied, this has been important in gaining buy in for the every-day user.  The guidelines have enabled Auckland Council departments and Council Controlled Organisations such as Leisure, Catering Services and Auckland Transport to take a leadership role without relying on a policy. The guidelines have been designed to use and implement at all levels across multiple environments.

Guidelines for Events – Bronze | Guidelines for Events – Silver | Guidelines for Events – Gold
Guidelines for Cafeteria – Bronze | Guidelines for Cafeteria – Silver | Guidelines for Cafeteria – Gold
Catering Guidelines (Gold, Silver, Bronze)

Good Kai Toolkit

The Good Kai Toolkit was designed in workshops with staff from South Auckland afterschool and ECE programmes – OSCAR and Kauri Kids. The toolkit is to support staff to create more nutritious food and get young people to embrace healthy eating now and into the future.

OSCAR Good Kai Toolkit
Kauri Kids Good Kai Toolkit

Community-led Places Toolkit

Auckland Council’s Community-led Places are now incorporating the Healthy Environment Approach (HEA) principles into its agreements. This is supported with a toolkit that provides the HEA framework basic structure, and underlying concept with visual scenarios to support practical ways of implementing HEA in various settings.

HEA Toolkit – Community-led Places

Council-led Places Toolkit

Auckland Council’s Council-led Places have incorporated the Healthy Environment Approach (HEA) principles into its programming framework. The principles are required to be factored in when discussing a potential program from a partner and where the principles make sense, and are incorporated into the Service Agreement. A toolkit has been developed to provide the HEA framework basic structure and underlying concept, as well as visual scenarios to support practical ways of implementing HEA in the various settings.

HEA Toolkit – Council-led Places

Case Studies

Case studies of Healthy Environment Approach initiatives which showcase systems change within
local government.

Navigating Local Government for Systems Change Part I – Events to Community Grants 

Navigating Local Government for Systems Change Part II – Leisure Programming from South, West and East to North

Community-led Healthy Environment Approach

Kia ora Te Whanau – Waters of Te Maahia Mural Case Study

Venue hire Healthy Environment Approach 

Case study video explaining how Healthy Environment Approach was implemented into Auckland Council’s Early Childhood Education centres (Kauri Kids) in South Auckland.

Village Games Case Study

A case for returning to indigenous movement
The Village Games case study highlights the barriers Pacific and Māori families in South Auckland face when finding compelling reasons to be physically active and the design-thinking solutions utilized to amplify the voices of our Pacific and Māori communities in being active in spaces where they live, learn, work and play.

Food systems

Papatoetoe Food Hub

Healthy Families South Auckland supports the kaupapa of the Papatoetoe Food Hub. These three visual graphics showcase what the Food Hub does to bring food sovereignty to South Auckland.

Our kaupapa 

Whenua to whenua

Good food doing good

Papatoetoe Food Hub – Transforming Local Food Systems

This report looks at the Papatoetoe Food Hub journey including its concept, insights from
stakeholders and community leaders, as well as key data and learnings.

Papatoetoe Food Hub: Transforming Local Food Systems

The Good Food Road Map

The Good Food Road Map

The Good Food Road Map supports the development of resilient food systems where individuals/whanau have access to food/drink which is affordable and appetising as well as sustainable, locally produced and culturally appropriate.

The Good Food Road Map