Wellbeing essential to a healthy region

Wellbeing essential to a healthy region

Evon Currie, General Manager of Community and Public Health for Canterbury DHB has applauded the Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Bill progressing through its first reading.

“Restoring the four well-beings to the Local Government Act would be a huge affirmation for the Healthy Greater Christchurch initiative,” she says. “Promoting economic, environmental, cultural, and social well-being was previously one of the primary purposes of local government.”

Healthy Greater Christchurch is a Canterbury DHB-led collaborative partnership.

The key idea is that all sectors, groups, and organisations who are members have a role to play in creating a healthy city. The initiative began in 2001 as a partnership between Canterbury DHB and Christchurch City Council and recently expanded to include Selwyn and Waimakariri.

Wellbeing is at the heart of the initiative.

“Behind the scenes, we use the Canterbury Wellbeing Index as a key monitoring tool,” says Evon Currie. “People are probably more familiar with Healthy Greater Christchurch activities like the ‘All Right?’ campaign, which promotes mental wellbeing.”

She is also pleased about the engagement opportunities now that consultation has opened for the Bill.

“We know many of the 200+ signatories to the Healthy Greater Christchurch charter will be excited to learn about this potential change. We’ll be supporting people to engage with the policy process. Civic engagement is also essential to community wellbeing,” Evon Currie says.

People can find out more about Healthy Greater Christchurch submission seminars at the website, www.healthychristchurch.org.nz.

Submissions on the bill are open until 25 May 2018.

ENDS

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