Community and Public Health provides public health services to more than 555, 000 people living in the Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast regions, and is a division of the Canterbury District Health Board, serving as the Public Health Unit (PHU) for two additional District Health Boards:

- South Canterbury District Health Board,

- West Coast District Health Board.

A staff of over 120 people work from five offices located in Christchurch, Ashburton, Timaru and Greymouth, to develop and deliver projects and activities to achieve our three overarching goals:

- Improve the health of the people in our region

- Reduce health inequalities

- Improve Māori health outcomes

Community and Public Health promote health and prevent illness and hospitalisations. In all programmes staff work in partnership to achieve lasting change. Health and wellbeing over the life span are important, with particular focus on children, adolescents and young adults. By addressing the determinants of health, the aim is to create environments, policies, communities, families/whānau that support healthy choices and lifestyles.

Reducing health inequalities is fundamental to raising the health status of people in our regions. Working with Māori and Pacific Island communities and groups of relative socio-economic deprivation is critical to reducing disparities that exist.