CREATING a community that is supportive of our health and wellbeing means making healthy changes in our environment so that the healthy choice is an easy choice.
One of a number of ways we can encourage this, is to look at opportunities for healthychange in the way events are run locally.
The Rangitikei District Council has shown great leadership recently by including a focus on health and wellbeing outcomes at council-sponsored community events.
The council has agreed that the current round of the events sponsorship scheme will ask applicants to think about how they might, for example, promote healthy food options or provide a smokefree event environment.
Applicants are encouraged, and will be supported, to plan events that are fizzy-free or water only; are smokefree, alcohol-free or include mechanisms for alcohol harm minimisation and opportunities to be active.
Taking a lead from the Rangitikei District Council could mean more water-only events like the recent Paetamariki Kapa Haka event run by Upokongaro School and the national secondary schools triathlon championships being run by Sport Whanganui in early 2017.
It could mean event spectators as well as attendees are moving more and sitting less, and that attendees can enjoy themselves in a safe environment that is supportive of good health and wellbeing.
At the very least it will mean that people and organisations running events in the community will actively think about some of the ways they can make healthy change.
We can spread this change across the Whanganui Rangitikei Ruapehu region; as a community we can be proactive. Where we are participating, running or attending events, functions, meetings and tournaments we can contribute to change that supports our health and wellbeing.
�For more information or support on how you can make healthy change where we live, learn, work and play head to www.healthyfamilieswrr.org.nz
