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Poster - NZSSD - Gardens4Health 15 years on

Gardens4Health started thanks to the Counties Manukau DHB back in 2009.   Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa (then Diabetes Projects Trust) took the project, with just two gardens back then, on and prepared it for rolling out across Tamaki Makaurau.   We have presented on the progress over the years at various conferences and seminars, and this time we went back to NZSSD to give a taster about what had changed in the intervening years.   Karen Pickering presented an e-pos...

Tips for Healthy Eating for Rangatahi, Young people - NZNF 2022

Teens and Rangatahi or young people, form another group where there are particular requirements to grow well and perform at the level needed in our challenging world.    Below is an excellent summary put together by the expert team at the  NZ Nutrition Foundation and updated as at February 2022.Young People covers a whole range of people from age 13-18, who are growing at different rates and times, involved in various levels of activity and who are of different heights and we...

Some tips about eating well for Healthy Ageing - NZNF 2022

Older adults are more likely to develop lifestyle conditions as they age, and have particular nutrition requirements over and above normal healthy eating recommendations to prevent health challenges such as diabetes and heart disease, while also ensuring being healthy enough to live well.   Below is an excellent summary put together by the expert team at the  NZ Nutrition Foundation updated as at June 2022.   Nutrition and physical activity continue to be impor...

Report on Gardens4Health Tāmaki Makaurau Harvest Festival 2025

A fantastic day had by all!   Gardens4Health leader Ali has put together this excellent summary report describing the amazing efforts by allThe Gardens4Health Tāmaki Makaurau Harvest Festival was a celebration of community māra kai in our network, and the people dedicated to growing delicious, nourishing food for their communities.This would not have been possible without the support of our hosts Communities Feeding Communities, or the team of volunteers that help...

Tips for healthy eating for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding - NZNF 2025

Our next generation deserve only the best in terms of having a great start, and nutrition even before conception makes a difference, not just to general health, but to the risk and development of conditions such as diabetes.   Below is an excellent summary put together by the expert team at the  NZ Nutrition Foundation and updated as at February 2025Good nutrition is especially important for women when they are thinking about getting pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding. ...

FAQs - common questions the NZ Nutrition Foundation has been asked

Want to know what the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist is?  How do you become one? Where to get good help? Coffee and salt how much is ok?   What about dairy in your diet?    Some of these questions have been explored here in this FAQ page from the NZ Nutrition Foundation website.We (NZNF) are asked a wide range of questions on an equally wide range of topics from our members and the public. Below we have compiled a list of our more frequently ...

New resource - eating out tips

It's the weekend, who doesn't want a break from cooking, or a treat meal out?  So how to Enjoy Eating Out While Making Healthier Choices?   Craving Mexican, Italian, or Thai? You can still enjoy some of your favorite meals while making smarter, healthier choices! Our new Eating Out Guide is the first of a range of new resources, this one packed with simple tips to help you order wisely, balance your plate, and feel great after your meal.What’s inside this resource?✔️ Best me...

Youth Weight loss/bariatric project concluded

After nearly 5 years, the last of our group of 20 amazing young people, who started with us back in 2020 when they were between the ages of 15 and 18, have graduated from this programme.    To participate the young people had to have either diabetes or pre-diabetes, and they committed to came along on a multi-year health journey as part of the Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa/Middlemore Hospital collaboration officially called "the Adolescent Bariatric project".  More information here...

NZ Nutrition Foundation JUST COOK Programme Announcement

We are deeply privileged to announce that we have been trusted with guiding the highly regarded and long running NZ Nutrition Foundation (NZNF) Just Cook programmes into the future.The NZ Nutrition Foundation has been a leading voice in encouraging Kiwi's to eat in a way that better supported their health by going back to the 'basics of cooking at home'.  It has also been  the go-to for sensible, evidence based information and has sadly closed it's doors as of April 2025.   T...

NZ Nutrition Foundation celebrated - 1980 to 2025

About the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation - modified from the website as at April 2025The New Zealand Nutrition Foundation (NZNF) has been a highly regarded professional, non-profit organisation that worked in partnership with other charities, businesses and government departments to help Kiwis eat well, no matter what their circumstances for over 45 years. They did this by; running JUST COOK a programme that builds food and nutrition knowledge in youth, older people, prisoners and vulnerable f...

RIP and Thank you Dr Ashwin Patel

It was with great sadness that we heard about the passing of Primary Care stalwart Dr Ashwin Patel.    Dr Patel was an essential part of our Primary Care Quality Improvement Audit service which ran from the early 1990's to 2018, and still has analysis underway.  Dr Patel was an excellent representative of the interests of Primary care at a governance and practical level for our service, and was generous with his time and energy discussing aspects of the developing IT scene in heal...

In the news - Gardens4Health spread in NZ Gardener magazine

Ali reports the honour of being featured in this month's NZ Gardener magazine, promoting the upcoming and much anticipated Harvest Festival.  Connor Crawford Photography has done the outstanding photos.  Information on next Saturday's event here https://www.facebook.com/events/1288876485721257https://     NZ Gardener magazine here www.thepost.co.nz/nz-gardener/...

Congratulations to the new Director of Public Health

Dr Corina Grey is the new Director of Public Health.   Our congratulations to Dr Grey who has extensive experience working in the community and was a valued member of our Board of Trustees a few years ago.   More information on the appointment here https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/556356/dr-corina-grey-lands-director-of-public-health-role  Picture sourced from the new Public Health Matters newsletter from the Public Health Agency which has a mailing list which ca...

In the News: Ali talks composting with Radio NZ

Jesse Mulligan of RNZ interviewing our own Ali Nicholls, leader of Gardens4Health, as she talks about composting from our mahi with Compost Collective.    https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018980190/expert-feature-composting-101...

NZ Nutrition Foundation closing after 45 years of helping Kiwis to eat better

Sad news with this announcement from The NZ Nutrition Foundation (NZNF)"The New Zealand Nutrition Foundation will close its doors in April after 45 years of operation due to a lack of funding.Despite every effort to secure further funds, the board of the NZ Nutrition Foundation has come to the difficult decision to shut down which will also affect its popular Just Cook programme. That will conclude in March unless new funding can be secured, or a new organisation steps up to take over the delive...

Looking back at our 2024 Summit...

It's hard to believe it's 4 months on from our 2024 Diabetes Summit held at the beautiful Te Manukanuka o Hoturoa marae, Auckland Airport.   For more detail, you can see the individual speakers as they present on the main topic of disparity on our YouTube channel here ...

Congratulations Tania on your Pacific Nutrition certificate!

Congratulations Tania for achieving the Certificate of Proficiency in Pacific Nutrition, with excellent marks we might add! As an organisation we've had team members undertake study in this course and it's antecedents since the very first programmes were trialed in the community back in the early 2000's. Tania, who works with the Gardens4Health team, was delighted to participate in what is always a very informative, and we have to say, enjoyable course to increase understanding of healthy nutrit...

Tis the time for scammers to be sneaky...

Technology comes along in leaps and bounds, and every time you turn around it seems there's something improved, new, new-ish, getting-there and almost-but-not-quite-magical that has the potential to make living with diabetes easier.   Unfortunately, it's become clear that there are some enterprising scammers out there who are producing and marketing products that sound just too good to be true, and at the moment they are.   Take the mass of special watches, bracelets, and oth...

Congratulations Helen Snell!

Dr Helen Snell has become Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit - awarded for services to nursing and diabetes care, full list of recipients here.    Helen has worked tirelessly to advance the interests of people with diabetes, and is an extraordinary leader in the nursing discipline.   We think that Helen is an excellent and very well deserved recipient of this honour.   More information in this article from Janine Rankin, Manuwatu Standard....

Congratulations Dr Malcolm Mulholland on your nomination for NZOTY!

Congratulations to Dr Malcolm Mulholland for his nomination for Kiwibank New Zealander of the year and reaching the semi-finals!  We have been privileged to support Malcolm's message for better access to lifesaving and life changing medication for all New Zealanders.   He has worked tirelessly with his My Life Matters campaign and Patient Voice Aotearoa organisation. We applaud his extraordinary commitment and mahi, and are in awe of what he has managed to achieve bringing patient...

2024 comes to a close

Final Board meeting for the year...check.   Final team meeting...check.   Team Christmas function...and check.   Now it's the last few days till we close the office (from Friday 20 December) after which we take two well earned weeks away from work, and re-open refreshed and energised on Monday 6 January 2025.Thanks to everyone out there we've come in contact with over the last year, it's been a busy time whether it's been through the amazing efforts of our Board of ...

Annual Activity Report for 2023-24 year

Click on the link below to download a PDF version of the latest Annual Activity Report for Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa.  April 2023 to March 2024 was another busy year in a challenging environment and the team as always did an amazing job. For the audited financials for the year period, please  look at the copy lodged with the Charities Commission on their website.  ...

Pacific Health wake-up call from the latest Health Survey

This RNZ article describes some statistics taken from the latest NZ Health survey (covering year July 2023-June 2024, involving 9719 adults/3062 children) showing the situation in relation to health is worse for Pasifika.    Actual survey results for more detailed analysis here.  This is sobering reading, and shows there is a very long way to go to get to the point where prevention of conditions such as diabetes becomes a feasible possibility and priority for some struggling famil...

Advocacy in action for Community Gardening

Ali, leader of Gardens4Health, was privileged to present evidence at the PC94 Wairaka Precinct Hearing at the Auckland Town Hall. The story as reported is that Sanctuary Community Organic Garden was protected during the original sale agreement between Unitec and the Crown. These protections ended up being ignored without explanation, and the precinct design came to include plans to build upon the māra (garden) land with no alternative space provided to integrate a community māra kai ...

SUMMIT 2024 - Shekhar Sehgal - Technology

Dr Shekhar Sehgal presented on CGM and other devices at the Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Summit on 26 September 2024.   This very well received presentation was followed up by an appearance on the panel later in the session where he shared his own personal experiences.   Shekhar's session here https://youtu.be/tDi-aoS7Fq4...