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Update on status of NZNF Just Cook programmes

Well it's been a busy time since we had the news back in early May  that we were taking on the NZ Nutrition Foundation programmes, the very well received Just Cook Tika Tunu and Just Cook Healthy Aging.   Thanks to Diana and her husband Kevin for the trips across the bridge with car and trailer prepared for heavy lifting, and to team members from both organisations for all the hard mahi shifting boxes of papers and other important items as they transition from the old home on the ...

Gardens4Health Facilitator Tania is heading off to new challenges

For those who haven't heard yet, we reluctantly farewelled Tania who has been the Gardens4Health facilitator in West and North Auckland since 2022. We've gotten used to seeing Tania's smiling face turn up in different gardens, and the office, often bearing herbs and seedlings she's grown herself. Thank you Tania on behalf of our organisation, the Gardens4Health team you've been an integral part of, but also the Lifestyle team where you've been a much appreciated behind the scenes supporter. Most...

Congratulations Dr Brandon Orr-Walker on your Bob Smith lecture

The Bob Smith lecture is a coveted slot in the NZSSD timetable, and it was great to see it awarded to Dr Brandon Orr-Walker at the 2025 meeting in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.  Our mahi with Dr Orr-Walker goes back many years, and he has demonstrated over and over again his commitment to people with diabetes, both in South Auckland, but also round the country.    It was great to be reminded of many of the initiatives over the years that have come out of South Auckland, including "Lets Be...

NZSSD Conference 2025 - Kirikiriroa Hamilton

We had an excellent conference trip to Kirikiriroa Hamilton, thanks to the Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa Board of Trustees for supporting the trip away  and to NZSSD for help with travel costs.   For our small organisation we were very pleased to have 4 abstracts accepted and play our usual active part over the event.  See specific blog entries for detail of abstracts/posters/presentations, but in summary, Kate Smallman presented case studies on the newly closed Youth Bar...

Do you want to support our efforts to prevent diabetes and its complications?

Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa has been working in the community for over 30 years to reduce the incidence of diabetes, and diabetes complications, especially for those most at risk.   We run a range of programmes, carry out research, design resources, and advocate for improvements.  There is more information on what we do on our website here.To do the work we do, requires ongoing support from our community.   Examples of this include people stepping up to be trained to de...

Tips for Healthy Eating for Adults - NZNF 2025

Each generation has different needs in terms of living a 'healthy life'.   Below is an excellent summary put together by the expert team at the  NZ Nutrition Foundation and updated as at February 2022Good health means we can live to the full and reduce our risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease as we grow older. What we eat throughout life is important in achieving good health – here are some simple guidelines to help you.Eat a variety of foods every dayEating ...

Te Pou Whirinaki o Mate Huka

It was fantastic catching up with Rebekah Crosswell who has been working on her PhD and was at the 2025 NZSSD conference presenting on her latest mahi.   Have a look at the practical results from her and her team here   https://www.matehuka.info/...

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...

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...

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...

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 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.   The two ...

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 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 families...

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"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 delivery of t...

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.   This is a reminder taster from the night presented by our own Fale Lesa.  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....