About us:
e pā ana ki a matou
- Canterbury
- Mid Canterbury
- South Canterbury
- West Coast
- Information Systems
- Public Health
- Te Pae Māhutonga
Careers at CPH
Want to work for an organisation committed to providing the best public health services possible?
Community and Public Health in South Canterbury (Timaru)
South Canterbury has a population of more than 55,600, and includes the Timaru, Waimate and Mackenzie Districts, between the Rangitata and Waitaki rivers.
According to the 2013 Census, the region is predominately Pakeha, but the population is now more diverse with 7 percent Maori, 2.5 percent Asian and 1.1 percent of Pacific ethnicities.
The region has a high proportion of people over 65 in the country (20.4 percent), and nearly 1 in 3 people in South Canterbury live in rural areas, nearly twice the level for the rest of New Zealand.
The work of the Timaru-based Community and Public Health staff aligns to the South Canterbury District Health Board’s (SCDHB) strategic priorities. Key focus areas are healthy lifestyles, child and adolescent health, and reducing inequalities.
Assistance in the areas of environmental health and infectious diseases is provided by Health Protection Officers. They are also involved in biosecurity monitoring at the Port of Timaru, inspections and advice for Early Childhood Centres, and drinking water assessments.
The Timaru office also has a Community Health Information Centre, providing a range of health education resources from the Ministry of Health and other providers.
Health Promotion Activities in South Canterbury
WAVE (Well-being and Vitality in Education) is a major public health initiative in South Canterbury. It is a programme of intersectoral activities aimed at creating and supporting healthier environments for South Canterbury children and young people. WAVE is unique to South Canterbury in that it supports and enhances health promotion activities across the education sector, ranging from Early Childhood Centres to tertiary providers.
Community and Public Health also works with the South Canterbury District Health Board to support the Ministry of Health’s vision of good oral health for all, for life. Preventing and promoting good oral health is a most effective way to make improvements over the long term. The South Canterbury Child Nutrition and Oral Health Promoter works with the community to create environments that promote good oral health from an early age, including:
- Supporting WAVE Early Childhood Centres to promote oral health; and
- Providing one-on-one dietary and oral health advice to families of children at high risk for developing dental caries.
Help Environment Canterbury learn more about Timaru’s air pollution
Environment Canterbury is looking for volunteers to host temporary air sensors to help create an even clearer picture of Timaru’s air quality.
A new spatial air monitoring project has been developed to find out more about how air quality varies across the city – with input from the University of Canterbury and air quality consultancy Mote.
Timaru Operations Manager Judith Earl-Goulet, says it would be helpful to hear from people living in one of the specified locations who were willing to host a sensor on their property from June to August this year.
“We’ve been asked by the community and Timaru District Council to carry out more research on the nature of air pollution across the whole town. We’re always looking for opportunities to collect new data and in different ways, so we’re pleased to get this project underway. We know the air quality in Timaru needs to improve and the study will provide up-to-date insight into how air pollution varies across town and how much of the population is exposed to poor air quality.”
Fill out the online contact form if you are interested in hosting a temporary air quality monitor – choose Home Heating as the subject. You can also call Environment Canterbury on 0800 329 276.
Links
- South Canterbury District Health Board
- Environment Canterbury (Regional Council)
- Timaru District Council
- Mackenzie District Council
- Waimate District Council
