Health – Clare Foundation and Health Coalition Aotearoa launch bold partnership to tackle food system inequities 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 Foundation’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.

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,” says Alice Montague of Clare Foundation.

The initiative is supported by co-funders Healthy Families South Auckland, University of Auckland School of Population Health Pacific Health, MAS Foundation and JR McKenzie Trust. 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.

“Communities in South Auckland are already doing the mahi to care for their people,” said Dr Lisa Te Morenga, Co-Chair of HCA. “This partnership ensures systems and policies do their part too.”

One clear example of structural inequity is the 10:1 ratio of fast-food to fresh food outlets in South Auckland. Such easy access to fast food (and difficult access to fresh food) is a key driver of diet-related diseases and poor oral health outcomes.

The partnership responds directly to the Public Health Advisory Committee’s 2023 Rebalancing Our Food System report, which recomm