Healthy Christchurch: networking to enhance health
Healthy Christchurch is expanding to become Healthy Greater Christchurch, to include the Waimakariri and Selwyn districts. It is unclear when this expansion will be completed.
Healthy Christchurch is a Canterbury DHB led inter-sectoral networking initiative involving over 200 diverse signatory member organisations from across Canterbury.
The initiative was established in 2001 and recognises that all sectors and groups have a role to play in enhancing the health and wellbeing of everyone living in the area – whether their focus is recreation, employment, youth, transport or any other aspect of community life. The purpose of Healthy Christchurch is to help enhance those efforts through networking, sharing information and collaborating on shared projects.
The aims of Healthy Christchurch are to:
- Forge a common vision for a healthy city.
- Foster healthy relationships between diverse agencies and sectors in Christchurch, from ‘grassroots’ groups to government agencies.
- Enable flexible, collaborative and prompt responses to emergent health issues.
- Ensure all policy incorporates a health perspective.
The structure of Healthy Christchurch
There are 3 key groups within Healthy Christchurch to affect change in the community.
- The signatories guide the Healthy Christchurch priorities. These organisations are in touch with local communities, operate according to the Healthy Christchurch Charter, and initiate and support a variety of activities.
- The current Advisory Group is made up of representatives from organisations of influence such as local councils, Environment Canterbury, Manawhenua ki Waitaha, and the Ministry of Social Development.
- Staff at Community and Public Health support the network, by providing assistance and a link between the community, signatory organisations and the Advisory Group.
Healthy Greater Christchurch also has a role to support the Greater Christchurch Partnership which includes reporting on activities.
Become a Healthy Christchurch signatory
You can join the expanding Healthy Christchurch network by becoming a signatory member organisation
How Healthy Christchurch supports the signatories and the community
The Healthy Christchurch website provides an information portal for news, events and opportunities of interest to signatory organisations and the community. This includes updates from the Greater Christchurch Partnership and activities organised by the Healthy Christchurch team such as lunchtime seminars.
- Find out about upcoming Healthy Christchurch seminars or other activities and updates. Contact Tracy Abbot if you are interested in presenting at a lunchtime seminar.
Posts to the Healthy Christchurch website are distributed in a weekly email newsletter to subscribers including signatories and other interested members of the community. Anyone can contribute items to be promoted in this newsletter for free – these are moderated by Healthy Christchurch staff before being published.
- Email Healthy Christchurch to subscribe to the weekly email newsletter (healthychristchurch[at]cdhb.health.nz).
- Sign up for a Healthy Christchurch login – to receive the weekly email newsletter and upload items for the newsletter online. You can sign up as an individual or on behalf of your organisation.
Healthy Christchurch also organises an annual hui for signatories and other interested people or organisations. These hui usually have a particular focus and provide extended opportunities for information sharing and networking within the community. The most recent hui in February 2018 was focussed on the proposed expansion of Healthy Christchurch to the Greater Christchurch area (covering Christchurch City, Banks Peninsula, and the Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts).
For further information, contact:
Tracy Abbot
Ph +64 3 378 6738
World First All Right? Campaign
All Right? is a social marketing campaign designed to help us think about our mental health and wellbeing. It’s about helping people realise that they’re not alone, encouraging them to connect with others, and supporting them to boost their wellbeing.
Ultimately, All Right? is about ensuring wellbeing is at the heart of our recovery.
All Right? is a Healthy Christchurch project that is being led by the Mental Health Foundation and the Canterbury District Health Board.
Christchurch City Health Profile
Peoples’ health is affected by factors including genetic inheritance, lifestyle choices, quality of housing, water and air, and, government policy. These are all often called health ‘determinants’.
Healthy Christchurch completed a city health profile in 2012 focusing on the determinants of health and wellbeing in Christchurch. The profile was prepared using a combination of available health data, the views of signatories and community consultation.