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Auckland Regional Public Health Service
Healthy Kai for GI

Choosing healthy food to eat at the Glen Innes Town Centre will become a whole lot easier with a new programme that enables shoppers to quickly identify healthy choices.

‘Glen Innes Healthy Kai’ will be launched on Saturday 11 November at Mayfair Place in the Town Centre starting at 10am. There will be a carnival atmosphere with free healthy kai, cooking demonstrations, spot prizes, balloons, music and entertainment. Auckland City Mayor, Dick Hubbard, will be showing his support of the campaign by attending the launch.

Gayle Sinclair from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) says the launch will be the beginning of a campaign by the ‘Glen Innes Healthy Kai Group’.

“We will work with the community, retailers, and local health providers to promote healthy food choices to eat at the Glen Innes Town Centre,” she says.

The ten participating retailers all have high hygiene ratings and sell foods that have been tested and meet specified nutrition criteria. These foods will be easily identified in shops by signage and the ‘Healthy Kai hook’ logo. Shoppers will be encouraged to ‘look for the hook’.

Georgie Thompson from Ruapotaka Marae says there has been substantial community involvement, with a slogan competition and local school children designing the banner around the poster.

“The children have done some fantastic artwork for the poster,” she says. “The winning slogan ‘Love G.I. Love Healthy Kai’ features on all our invitations and posters for the event – the local community has got right behind it.”

Glen Innes Healthy Kai is an example of a community pulling together to address nutrition related risk factors by making it easier to choose healthier food to eat at the Town Centre. A recent shopper survey conducted by the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) showed that the most popular food choices currently at the Glen Innes Town Centre were chips, pies, fried chicken or fish and sugary fizzy drink. G.I. Healthy Kai will show shoppers healthier alternatives.

The ‘Glen Innes Healthy Kai Group’ comprises community representatives, Ruapotaka Marae, Ka Mau Te Wero, Glen Innes Primary School (Fruit in Schools), NZ National Heart Foundation, Procare Network Auckland, Hapai Te Hauora Tapui Ltd, Community Child Health and Disability Service, Tamaki Healthcare PHO, Auckland PHO, Total Healthcare Otara, Auckland City Council and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

For further information please contact:

Gayle Sinclair
Auckland Regional Public Health Service
Phone: 2611620 ext. 5172
Mobile: 027 4785060

Ends

Fleur King
External Communications Manager
Auckland District Health Board

Phone: 09 630 9952
Fax: 09 630 9789
Mobile: 021 804 122