Mātanga Mātai Kai (Community Nutrition Service)

The Community Nutrition Service has New Zealand registered dietitians who are available to work in partnership with you, your whānau and small groups to identify and make dietary and behaviour changes to prevent and manage your long-term lifestyle related conditions.

Dietitians are registered health professionals working under the Health Practitioners Competency Act (HPCA) 2003 to ensure you receive safe, evidence-based, individualised nutrition information.

This service will help with:

• Person-to-person appointments for individualised nutrition support

• Group education – working closely with Rongoā Kākāriki (Green Prescription) and health

• Promotion programmes to support you to change your eating habits and achieve your lifestyle goals

• Workforce development for other health professionals on specific nutrition and health related topics

• Supporting other health professionals with case reviews and specific nutrition resources

The dietitians are unable to work within education environments and aged residential care. For alternative options, please contact us to discuss.

Person-to-person appointments

By referral only:

• Referrals are made by your health professional e.g. general practitioner, specialist or nurse. The service does not accept self-referrals

• The dietitians see people of all ages for advice for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, healthy weight, gastro-intestinal problems, and a range of other conditions

• Referrals are prioritised by a member of the dietitian team based on urgency of nutrition problem and booked into the monthly Dietitian clinics

About your appointment:

• Where possible, you and your whānau are seen within your general practice (family doctor), or at other community locations across the Nelson Bays region

• Dietitian clinics are provided monthly for each general practice in the Nelson Bays region

• Initial appointments are free of charge and are usually 30 - 45 minutes

• You are welcome to bring a support person/people of your choice

• You may be seen more than once, or you may receive ongoing support from your nurse or other provider

• Please bring to your appointment any food and/or symptom diaries that you have; or Well Child book for children aged under 5 years old