“I like working with people to help them figure things out.” 

It’s a simple statement but one that fits perfectly with Loren Greenwood’s new role as Health Coach/Community Support Worker with Active Southland’s Toku Oranga team. 

Health coaches and community support workers are based in medical practices working with patients to help them better understand their health needs and journeys. 

They can connect patients with relevant support agencies in the community and help unravel the sometimes tricky and confusing aspects that can come during that health journey. 

“Everyone has the skills within themselves to get where they want to go, I just like helping people figure things out for themselves and empowering them to realise they can do it. Maybe they just needed someone to physically or emotionally be alongside them to begin or help them see their barriers.” 

Originally from Motueka, Loren moved to Southland to study Sport and Exercise Science at the Southern Institute of Technology before heading to Dunedin for post graduate study. 

Today she lives on a farm at Waianiwa with her dairy farmer partner, and their two cats. In her spare time she loves getting outside – she enjoys tramping and is committed to healthy living. One of her recent purchases was a stand up paddle board, and while she confesses she is no expert, she is loving the challenge of mastering a new skill. 

She is also relishing the challenge of her new role – it shares similarities with her previous job using the Māori wellbeing model, Te Whare Tapa Wha, to achieve outcomes for rangatahi. 

Loren loves the idea of working with a broader range of people - particularly with an organisation like Active Southland that has community wellbeing as its focus. 

“It just felt like the right setting, and I thought Active Southland would be a neat place to work. It feels like I am in the right place for me right now.” 

Article added: Friday 29 April 2022