Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has today launched Healthy Families Rotorua at Rotorua Primary School.

'Healthy Families New Zealand is about encouraging people to live healthier lives by making good food choices, being physically active, moderating alcohol consumption and being smoke-free,” explains Jonathan.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman. Photo: File.

'The initiative challenges communities to think differently about how to address the underlying causes of poor health at a local level.”

Jonathan says $2.58 million will be invested in Healthy Families Rotorua over the next four years. Te Arawa Whanau Ora Collective is the lead provider and is being supported by Kowhai Health Associates.

Today's launch also coincided with Rotorua's 135th birthday celebrations.

'I recently launched the Childhood Obesity Plan – making New Zealand one of the first OECD countries to have a target and a comprehensive plan to tackle childhood obesity,” adds Jonathan.

'The roll out of Healthy Families NZ is one of the 22 initiatives in the plan, as this initiative has a significant role to play in changing environments, attitudes and behaviours.”

The initiative will also be launched in Lower Hutt, Far North, Whanganui, Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura and Spreydon-Heathcote.

It has already been launched in the East Cape, Invercargill and Waitakere.

The rollout is supported by $40 million over four years, committed to in the initiative in Budget 2014.

It is hoped Healthy Families NZ has the potential to impact the lives of over one million New Zealanders.