Janice Belgrave, SIA Community Liaison Manager
"I am passionate about community development. Partnership Health's Services to Improve Access Project embodies some of the key principles of community development, so for me that was a really good fit, and it continues to be challenging and exciting, being part of the ongoing development of this project. "

The strong health focus at Partnership Health really attracted me. I believe that assisting people towards good health empowers them in every other area of their life. Bringing a health focus to the important activities already happening in the community is a meaningful way of improving the quality of people's lives.

"The role of Partnership Health is extremely valuable in providing a response for our many and increasingly diverse communities - I'd like to see that grow and develop."

Wayne Reid, Contracts Manager/Ethnic Liaison Manager
"I was originally employed at Partnership Health as Contracts Manager, creating order out of the burgeoning number of contracts with which the PHO was involved. The then CEO asked if I wanted to look at allocating Canterbury District Health Board funding, which had been earmarked for those from refugee backgrounds. This was a new departure for Partnership Health, as I was soon to find out. Little was known four years ago about refugee resettlement, much less their primary health needs. The acceptance of that offer was to set in motion a train of events leading to the development of a full-time role in refugee and migrant primary health care.

"Travelling widely and living in a number of countries has given me a unique perspective on both language and culture, allowing me to communicate the primary health care message. With over 170cultures speaking more than 80 different languages in Canterbury, the need is great. My focus is to improve access to health and wellness information in many languages, and access to interpreters and programmes to help people navigate the pitfalls of our western lifestyle.

"None of this can be done in isolation. It has to be an inter-agency, inter-sectoral approach. Health and community organisations need to work together to make a change. The wonderful thing is, here in Canterbury, they do."

Michael O'Dea, Senior Manager
"The health promotion projects and population-based health initiatives were what brought me to Partnership Health. While you're not working at an individual health level, you see projects that have an impact on a large population.

"I'm proud of the role that the PHO has had in allowing the community to have a health voice in advocacy at a local and national level. A lot of the really cool stuff we have done has come from a community based idea, and we've been able to support it to expand. The Smokefree Parks and Playgrounds came from two Hornby girls who wanted their park smokefree. From that, those two girls, with our support, have made all Christchurch parks and playgrounds smokefree. It's fantastic to be able to take a great idea and really give it a voice and make it larger.

"I'd like to see the health sector further grow its appreciation of the role that the community has in their own health, and allow them to be more active participants in it."

Rhys Gardiner, Finance Manager
"After working in a corporate environment, I thoroughly enjoyed working in education, run by a trust, where all the funding was spent on education. So the similarities at Partnership Health appealed to me -being a trust, and all funding directed at health.

It's been rewarding to be able to show the PHC team, and the board where they are going to be financially in the future, as well as where they're at. This has enabled the trust to plan its future financial spending, and reduce the surplus that had accumulated since its creation. Most importantly, we've been able to increase spending on frontline health, which has had a direct benefit to our community."

Mark Liddle, Primary Health Care Manager
"I came to Partnership Health because it was a Primary Health Organisation with a philosophy in line with mine - it acts with integrity and always has the person, the population or the community front of mind. It will choose the services, who to work with, and how to fund them, because it's the right thing to do for the community, because it's community first.

"I'm proud of the strengthened relationships we have across all the different providers. We've come a long way to actually truly work together for the greater good of the community. "I'd like to think that whatever the future holds for the health sector, that the good work achieved and positive influence that Partnership Health has will continue -being an independent advocate for the community, supporting groups when they're struggling, and working with the best people to do this."