South Island tertiary health and wellbeing survey. General report

Health promotion in higher education is receiving greater attention with the recent development of the Okanagan Charter, an international health promotion charter for universities and colleges. In 2016, the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) funded a survey of health and wellbeing initiatives in tertiary institutions across the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, based on the Okanagan Charter. The report provides a snapshot of health and wellbeing initiatives currently operational within the seven higher education institutions surveyed and aims to share examples of good practice and suggestions for further alignment with the Okanagan Charter.

Higher education is viewed as an important setting for health promotion action both locally and internationally. The development of the Okanagan Charter is of much interest to institutions of higher education in Aotearoa New Zealand, since its ratification in June 2015. The Charter provides a framework based on the latest evidence and a transformative health promotion vision for higher education institutions. It calls upon institutions to incorporate health promotion values and principles into their mission, vision and strategic plans, and model and test approaches for the wider community and society. The Charter’s principles and actions areas were found to align well with models of health and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Higher education institutions have great potential to positively influence their campus communities, geographical communities and global community at large. This can be through creating healthy working, learning and living environments; increasing the profile of wellbeing and public health issues within teaching and research; and developing partnerships and leadership opportunities within and outside campus.