It was a big week last week. The biggest news is most definitely the New Zealand Eating Disorder Strategy launch in parliament on Wednesday, 3 September. The strategy is in the link below, as is our former Chair’s reflection on the day. After many years of fragmentation, it is good news to be seeing hope for change, and the Strategy Refresh is a great start for the sector to work from.
I want to acknowledge and thank all those who have gone before me in this space who have contributed so passionately toward a better future for those affected by eating disorders. It’s often the way that things take a long time to happen, then suddenly they are upon us. This launch has been like that. The last look into the Government’s strategy on eating disorders was in 2009, long before my time at EDANZ. Since then, there has been a lot of work by a lot of people to improve the system. Acknowledgement and thanks must go to them.
September 1–7 was announced as the Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness week in Australia and New Zealand and we have seen a few organisations in New Zealand take up the mantle to help raise awareness for both of these issues. I say both of these issues, because Body Image and Eating Disorders are not always linked; to do so may blur the public’s perception of what families go through when a loved one experiences an eating disorder. Yes, deliberate dieting may be the cause of the initial loss of weight that triggers the biologically influenced illness that has definitive metabolic and genetic elements, however there are other factors that can also trigger the caloric imbalance: grief, trauma, surgery to name a few. Last week’s BIEDAW had a theme: “unpacking the 'why'”. That’s what we look at in the article below.
Lastly, we have a new resource from Whāraurau, a podcast series called Holding Space. The series explores various aspects of eating disorders and the impacts.
As always, I wish you well for the coming month,
Megan
