HPF's achievements highlighted at AGM

The commitment, teamwork, and resilience of HPF was acknowledged by HPF’s outgoing Board Chairperson Mark Simiona at our AGM today.

Together with our members, wider community and stakeholders HPF has “navigated significant changes and seized new opportunities to advance health promotion in Aotearoa and beyond”, said Mr Simiona.

“HPF continues to operate as a virtual office, going from strength to strength. We have demonstrated resilience and financial viability while fulfilling our Ministry of Health contract, building the sector, and strengthening our workforce, partnerships, and networks — both nationally, with the Public Health Association and Health Coalition Aotearoa, and internationally,” he said.

HPF’s financial position remained robust, said Mr Simiona. “This strong footing ensures we can continue supporting health promotion into the future.”

He welcomed new board members, Dr Viliami Puloka, Francis Kewene and Christine Roseveare, and HPF’s new Kaumatua Trevor Simpson.

“I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to serve as Chairperson … I’ve appreciated learning from and collaborating with everyone here, sharing stories, and exploring new possibilities together.”

In his annual report HPF’s Executive Director Sione Tu’itahi said through strategic partnerships, operational  improvements, and a strong focus on Indigenous health promotion and planetary health, we had advanced our mission to improve the wellbeing of people in Aotearoa and beyond.

Mr Tu’itahi thanked HPF’s members , who he said had been the driving force behind everything we had achieved at HPF.

“From showing up at our trainings to lending your expertise, your support has allowed us to keep pushing forward on issues that truly matter — health equity, Indigenous wellbeing, and the health of our planet.”

Mr Tu’itahi highlighted our major activities and achievements over the past year, categorised into key areas of leadership, capacity-building, and sustainability. 

He thanked our Chairperson, Mr Simiona for his guidance and commitment over the past six years, as well as HPF's staff, whose "hard work, adaptability, and passion have driven HPF forward each day. Whether organising events, delivering training, or supporting our members, you have consistently gone above and beyond to ensure we meet our goals.

“We also extend our gratitude to Te Whatu Ora, National Public Health Service for their commitment to improving health promotion outcomes. With the crucial support of government funding, we have fostered sustainable change throughout the years. This partnership enables us to make strides in promoting wellbeing, and we are thankful.”

HPF’s strategic objectives and primary aims and the key highlights for 2024, including: equity and Indigenous focus; sustainability and planetary health and capacity building were highlighted in the AGM report.

The report will be uploaded to our website soon.