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Our role

We are an evidence-based health promotion organisation, influencing all sectors that contribute to health and wellbeing. 

Our key role is to lead and support health promotion initiatives to:

  • promote health and wellbeing and encourage healthy lifestyles
  • prevent disease, illness and injury
  • enable environments that support health, wellbeing and healthy lifestyles
  • reduce personal, social and economic harm.

We have alcohol-specific functions to:

  • give advice and make recommendations to government, government agencies, industry, non-government bodies, communities, health professionals and others on the sale, supply, consumption, misuse and harm of alcohol as those matters relate to Te Hiringa Hauora general functions
  • undertake, or work with others, to research alcohol use and public attitudes to alcohol in New Zealand and problems associated with, or consequent on, alcohol misuse. 

Te Hiringa Hauora

Te Hiringa Hauora was the name gifted to the Health Promotion Agency by the late respected kaumātua New Amsterdam (Amster) Reedy (Te Aitanga a Mate/Uepohatu). Te Hiringa Hauora is described as “the unrelenting pursuit of wellbeing”. 

Vision and mission

Our vision:

Pae Ora – healthy futures.

Mauri Ora, Whānau Ora, Wai Ora. Healthy futures means healthy people, families and environments.

Our mission:

The unrelenting pursuit of wellbeing. 

Strategic direction

Our strategic direction is underpinned by three pou – Te Tiriti o Waitangi, equity, and sustainability. We have a goal of intergenerational change in health and wellbeing for those whose needs are the greatest.

We describe ourselves as Te Tiriti-dynamic and we place Te Tiriti at the forefront of our work and thinking. Our Tiriti-dynamic approach is reflected in our kawa and values, our structure, relationships and operational initiatives. Sharing power, building trusted relationships, enabling community-driven priorities and equitable resourcing are key to being Tiriti-dynamic.

    Our work

    Our work contributes to the Government’s health system outcomes and covers a wide range of activities. We are also frequently asked to work on new Government health promotion initiatives.

    We’re a small organisation with a big job, so a lot of the work we do is in partnership with others including health sector agencies, the community and voluntary sector, non-government organisations, central government, territorial authorities, education sector agencies, businesses, the media, policy makers, academics and researchers.

    We are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people who experience the greatest health challenges and inequities. This includes Māori, as tangata whenua, and other communities such as Pacific Peoples and those with a low socioeconomic status.

    Our priority areas:

    • Wellbeing of children and young people
    • Wellbeing of communities and whānau
    • Human rights and health

    Our strategic intentions:

    • Promoting, enabling and informing
    • People can take action, be effective and influence their own life
    • Communities meet their needs and goals
    • Environments and systems are enablers, not barriers

    Our enablers:

    • Strategic partnerships
    • Te Tiriti-dynamic workforce
    • Digital transformation
    • Insights and evaluation

    Informing

    Insights, research and evaluation are key to every aspect of our work.

    We undertake and support research and provide advice to inform our own work and the work of others. We also influence the development and implementation of policies and laws by contributing to interagency processes, making submissions to central and local government and by providing evidence-based research.

    Learn more about our research 

    Enabling

    An important part of our work is ensuring the environments where New Zealanders live, work, learn and play support and promote health and wellbeing. Our ability to do this is greatly extended by working with others.

    We connect with communities to help them develop local solutions to local problems. By providing advice, resources and tools to a wide range of individuals, groups and organisations we help them to promote good health in their own community.

    Learn more about our programmes

    Promoting

    For New Zealanders to lead healthier lives, individuals and families need to be aware, motivated and able to improve and protect their own and their family’s health and wellbeing.

    A lot of our work uses marketing approaches aimed at achieving behaviour change. Promoting health and wellbeing, working with communities and communicating health messages to priority audiences are major parts of the public face of Te Hiringa Hauora.

    Learn more about our campaigns