November 2, 2006

One step at a time towards excellence

North Shore City Council's programme to improve the health and wellbeing of its staff is a finalist in the Massey University North Harbour Sporting Excellence Awards.

The 10,000 Steps@Work and Next Steps programmes - which aim to inject more physical activity into each day - were nominated in the Workplace Initiative of the Year category.

The awards ceremony is being held next Wednesday night (November 8), and this is the first time the council has been a finalist.

North Shore City's chief executive, John Brockies, is delighted that the council's care of its staff is being recognised.

"Close to 500 of our staff have been through these programmes and not only are they fitter and healthier, they've lost weight, stopped smoking and are managing stress better," he says.

"The added benefits are that the number of sick days have gone down, and people from all parts of our workforce have got to know each other better."

People taking part in the 12-week programme, run by local firm Health and Human Performance, wear a pedometer to count how many steps they do each day, and receive a health assessment as well as advice on nutrition and injury prevention.

As well as the health benefits, 10,000 Steps@Work and Next Steps is about having fun. Teams taking part can often be seen increasing their step count on Takapuna Beach at lunchtime. There are more than 140 council staff currently taking part in the programmes.

The Massey University North Harbour Sporting Excellence Awards, run by regional trust Harbour Sport, aim to recognise and celebrate the achievements of top athletes, coaches and administrators, and the contribution of others to sport in general.

To find out more please visit www.harboursport.co.nz.

ENDS

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