Akld Councils provided health, wellbeing direction

Auckland Councils provided health and wellbeing direction

News release 16 June 2006

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) today launched a report that provides a public health perspective on the invaluable work carried out by local authorities to protect and promote community health and wellbeing. This is the first time in New Zealand that such comprehensive health information has been made available on a regional and local basis for local government.

The report, Improving health and wellbeing: A public health perspective for local authorities in the Auckland region, provides insights into key considerations for population-wide planning and also outlines a range of baseline indicators for monitoring population health and wellbeing trends in the Auckland region that could be useful for local authorities and others.

The report consists of two parts. The first part provides contextual discussion to facilitate better understanding of a population-wide (or public health) approach across three focus areas for the Auckland region.

• Urban development – a priority focus area covering a broad range of issues including housing, air quality, access to recreation space, provision of water, wastewater and other infrastructure required for growth and intensification. Urban planning and design that explicitly considers public health will go a long way towards ensuring the positive public health impacts of future urban development.

• Transport – a priority focus area due to its significant direct and indirect impact on individuals and community health, and it is interconnected to urban development. The transport system needs to be organised to further encourage physical activity, reduce dependence on motor vehicles and improve safety, especially with an increased focus on vulnerable and at-risk road users.

ENDS

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