A Day in the Life: Nutrition Advisor Lesley

Much of the work done at the Heart Foundation is through directly engaging with the New Zealand public. We chat to one of our Nutrition Advisors, Lesley, about her role in connecting with Kiwi kids across the country.

07:30

After a quick commute, I arrive at the Heart Foundation head office in Tamaki Makaurau to start my day. I’m one of 16 nutrition advisors who operate across New Zealand. At this time of the day, I focus on my email inbox. There may be newsletters and minutes from national health organisations or a registration form from an early learning service who has signed up to our Tohu Manawa Ora | Healthy Heart Award. In another email, a primary school may have signed up to take part in Jumping June – an all-school skipping challenge that gets children active, learning about their hearts and helping to raise life-saving funds. It’s my job to support the school and teachers with resources where needed. 

09:00

I head out to a school in West Auckland to meet an Intermediate Food Technology teacher. On my way, I drop off our latest activity resource pack to a nearby early learning service who are keen to increase their variety of activities in their programme. Once I arrive at the school, I talk to the teacher about the new resources and activities available. They’ve done workshops with us in the past. One of our new activities is about Processed Foods and helps students understand the range of processes that foods go through, including fresh-frozen, canned, flavoured, and extruded. It’s a visual activity that shows how food products, derived from fresh ingredients, can lose their nutrient value and become less beneficial for our bodies through processing.

12:00

I return to the office and can finalise the details of a school activity we are hosting in our head office foyer. Year 5/6 students from local schools will be visiting our interactive space to learn about heart health. My colleagues and I will facilitate 3 main activities for students to complete in small groups, all about food groups, interactive heart anatomy, what the Heart Foundation does, and how to check your pulse. Two university students are undergoing a placement with us, and I have an online catch-up with them. They will be involved in the school visit we are hosting and will help the students make healthy pizzas using the four food groups.

15:00

I, and two other Nutrition Advisors in Auckland, are preparing to host an online workshop for Early Learning Services (ELS) staff. As a team, we offer a free workshop each school term. These are mostly for the ELS space and topics range from navigating lunch boxes, looking at food budgets and menus, to staff wellbeing. Today’s session will involve the cooks who prepare food daily for tamariki in their service. We’ll cover menu planning, the food groups and vegetarian meals. The session finishes with a discussion about raising confident eaters and a quiz.

16:00

After a workshop debrief with my colleagues, it’s time to pack up. Tomorrow will follow a different schedule that might include an online webinar to follow the latest research in nutrition, or it may include our monthly Kaitahi session with our Chief Advisor Māori, Kataraina, where we learn correct te reo Māori pronunciation, tikanga (Māori practices) and values that help us connect effectively with our communities. 

To learn more about how the Heart Foundation works with schools and early learning services, click here.