Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) has announced a new five-year partnership with the Clare Foundation to address structural barriers to healthy food environments in South Auckland.
This strategic collaboration will help South Auckland communities reclaim agency over their local food systems by creating systems and policy change. Clare’s tagged funding will help HCA find policy and regulatory obstacles, strengthen the evidence base, and advocate for local and national solutions so South Auckland can have a healthier food environment.
Former dentist and Clare Foundation founder Anna Stuck says the impact that comes from system and policy change in the oral health space holds enormous opportunity.
“I understand from my experience as a dentist how oral health is directly influenced by barriers to healthy food environments and access to food knowledge. Entire communities will now have the opportunity to transform their oral health outcomes over time once the right baselines are in place.”
The initiative is supported by a range of co-funders and applied research will be led by Moana Connect, Toi Tangata, and Māngere-based community leaders and organisations — recognising the deep expertise communities already hold in food sovereignty and wellbeing.
Alice Montague, CEO at Clare Foundation, says the opportunity to support the work of the Health Coalition Aotearoa was a natural fit with the goal to ignite lasting systems change in oral health.
“The impact of food and lifestyle choices on total wellbeing, especially on oral health, makes the work of the Unified Food Systems Strategy especially critical for communities where access to education, information and healthy options can make a meaningful difference for generations to come.”
Centred on co-design, community leadership, and Māori and Pacific models of wellbeing, the project aims to build a blueprint for food system transformation — starting in South Auckland and offering a model for wider systems change across Aotearoa.