Tegel Christchurch staff go smokefree through heart health initiative
The team at Tegel Christchurch are committed to creating practical workplace wellbeing support. Earlier this year, after assessing health needs, the Tegel Christchurch team launched a Heart Health Initiative that combined education, support, and tools to help their team make lasting changes. At the heart of it all? A partnership with Te Hā – Waitaha to deliver free, onsite smokefree support.
Why smokefree support matters
The initiative began after routine employee health checks revealed that heart health and smoking were key areas where staff wanted extra support in.
Recognising the strong link between smoking and cardiovascular risk, the organisation teamed up with Te Hā – Waitaha to bring smokefree services directly into the workplace. They also collaborated with the Heart Foundation to deliver heart health education to ensure staff had both the knowledge and tools to make positive changes.
“Because going smokefree is such a powerful step towards improving heart health, we connected with Te Hā – Waitaha to bring free, onsite smokefree support directly to our people.” said Emma Organ, Wellbeing Partner at Tegel Foods.
Te Hā – Waitaha smokefree support
The impact on staff
The response from staff was overwhelmingly positive. Staff appreciated the convenience and motivation that came with having support available at work, with team members sharing “due to time, it would have been very hard to do this outside of work.”
Another team member said “Having support as part of an onsite group helped keep motivation up and push me to become successful in going smokefree.”
One team member shared that they now “have a lot more money and feel a lot healthier and more energetic in and outside of work.”
Organisational benefits
For the organisation, the benefits were clear:
- Healthier, more engaged staff.
- Improved morale and productivity.
- Stronger workplace culture built on care and trust.
Supporting a smokefree workplace is a long-term investment that has all-round benefits. It helps individuals, makes a positive difference for us as a business and even has a flow-on effect to our wider communities.
The initiative also reinforced the company’s values, with staff recognising the genuine care behind the programme.
“Creating that kind of supportive, inclusive environment shows our value of ‘we care’ in action and that ultimately builds trust, loyalty, and strengthens our commitment to the wellbeing of our people” notes Emma.
Mitchell Jordan, Health Promotion Advisor working with Te Hā Waitaha Stop Smoking Service found collaborating with Tegel Christchurch to deliver the health and wellbeing initiative extremely rewarding. “We began implementing engagement strategies in collaboration with the Heart Foundation, which helped build trust and interest among staff. Over the 8-week program, participants received tailored support and resources, and it was inspiring to see staff members successfully become smokefree by the end. The initiative not only improved individual health outcomes but also fostered a stronger sense of wellbeing across the workplace”
Looking ahead
The organisation is now focused on expanding smokefree support nationwide across its main processing sites.
Advice for other workplaces
Emma, Tegel Foods Wellbeing Partner was happy to share the following advice for other employees.
If you’re considering providing onsite support for your staff, go for it! We found the team at Te Hā – Waitaha fantastic to work with. They were incredibly flexible, reliable and supportive, which made setting up the onsite program very straightforward.
For us, it was about moving beyond posters and pamphlets promoting healthy habits, to actually giving people hands-on, practical support. That’s what makes the real difference. It also shows your staff that you genuinely care about them as people, not just employees.
Stop smoking support for your workplace
Contact us to find out about stop smoking support for your workplace.