Sign the petition asking the Government to fund the first-ever National Eye Health Survey in Aotearoa New Zealand https://www.eyehealthaotearoa.org.nz/sign_the_petition
ALT TEXT & IMAGES:
With Christmas on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on the year that was, for Eye Health Aotearoa, New Zealand’s peak body for eye health.
As the New Zealand representative on the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, we took this year’s ‘Love Your Eyes’ campaign theme of “Taking it Parliament” to heart.
We started the year with a virtual hui of MPs who support us in our goal of ensuring all New Zealanders can access quality eye health care, the Parliamentary Friends of Eye Health.
We visited Wellington in July, taking the importance of eye health to Parliament’s door, with MPs and Parliamentary staff having onsite eye examinations and being invited to sign our petition to fund a National Eye Health Survey. We also launched the ‘Eye Care in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022 – Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool Report’ which reveals that eye health care has no assigned governance structure within the Ministry of Health.
The University of Auckland - Vision Bus Aotearoa hit the road in August, bringing eye care services to Kiwi kids across the country who could otherwise miss out.
Our petition continued to gather signatures as more and more Kiwis became aware of the need to know the true state of eye health in Aotearoa New Zealand. In September, we presented the petition to Parliament. We look forward to making an oral submission to the Select Committee on this matter in 2023.
As part of the ‘Love Your Eyes 2022’ global campaign, Eye Health Aotearoa held our inaugural national Tactile Art Competition to celebrate World Sight Day, and to increase public awareness about the importance of eye health.
Collaborating with Specsavers and the New Zealand Association of Optometrists, we also collected 93,095 eye tests pledges, to add to the global goal of conducting 5 million eye tests in the month leading up to World Sight Day, 13 October.
Now as we put away our laptops and head to the beach, bach or bush, we thank our supporters for making eye health count this year.
At the top of our Christmas wish list is that all Parliamentary Parties make eye health a huge priority in their 2023 pre-election health policies.
But for now, merry Christmas and a happy new year!
See you in 2023.
IMAGES:
“Christmas Greetings”, Christmas decorations, Eye Health Aotearoa logo.
Christmas decorations and yellow starfish, on pebbly beach.
Map of “Aotearoa New Zealand” on tapa cloth.
Maori carving, face with shell eyes.
Eye chart.
IAPB blue eye-shaped logo.
“[Heart] YOUR EYES” and “[W,S,D, in braille] 2022 World Sight Day” logos. Large multi-coloured heart outline graphic.
New Zealand Parliament House and the Beehive.
Multi-window Zoom screenshot, featuring New Zealand MPs.
Bearded man, wearing beanie, having an eye examination.
Various photos of MPs and Eye Health Aotearoa representatives at Parliament.
Various photos of MPs having eye examinations at Parliament.
Dianne Rogers presenting at Parliament.
Range of prescription glasses.
Eye examination lenses, equipment, and research papers.
Man smiling, sitting on steps on side of branded “VisionBus Aotearoa.Towards more equitable eye healthcare visionbus.ac.nz”.
Person having eye examination.
People looking at eye chart.
“Bluff New Zealand” signpost including directions to “6km Dog Island”, “2133km Equator”, “21km Ruapuke”, “784km Wellington”, “15008km New York”.
Man wearing glasses, smiling, reading book. Two smiling women look on encouragingly.
Eye Health Aotearoa petition presentation to MPs including Hon Andrew Little.
“Eye Health Aotearoa” eye/koru logo on pull-up banner.
“[Heart] YOUR EYES” logo.
Promotional tile graphic for “Tactile art competition” featuring child with colourful paint on hands.
Tactile artwork: tree.
Woman and child pose wearing white heart-shaped glasses.
Diverse hands on top of each other. Green “Specsavers” logo.
Black and white “New Zealand Association of Optometrists Inc.” logo.
“93,095 PLEDGES”. “[Heart] YOUR EYES” logo moving over image of world globe.
Five young adults celebrate with a picnic overlooking the ocean.
Back door of Kiwi bach.
Three red Santa hats hanging on clothesline.
Child lying down, wearing fluffy jump suit.
Older couple cuddle.
Man wearing orange beanie, at beach.
Woman wearing mask and head scarf.
“We call on all parties to make eye health a priority in the pre-election health policies”. Christmas decorations Eye Health Aotearoa logo. “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” Christmas decorations. Eye Health Aotearoa logo.
Woman smiling, wearing glasses and orange shirt.