He taonga (blood pressure support tool)

He Taonga is a free 6-week online programme produced by the Stroke Foundation of New Zealand, aimed at helping you to change your lifestyle and manage your blood pressure. It's provided via email and can be accessed by computer or mobile phone.

• Each week, you get sent an email with a couple of videos to watch (<10 min total), as well as a task of your “action for the week”.
• In the videos, you learn about the theme for the week and ideas for how to take action yourself. Most weeks, there's also a video showing some real people talking about their own life and the changes they have made.
• In the first week of the programme, you will learn about what blood pressure is and what the numbers mean, how to get it checked, and the risks of having high blood pressure. You will learn tips about ways to improve your health and reduce your blood pressure.
• The remaining 5 weeks of the programme are focused on setting and maintain a goal. You're encouraged to set an achievable goal to improve your health and lower your blood pressure, with the help of your whānau and community. You learn how to keep motivated with your goal, and overcome any challenges along the way.

For the complete app description, go to the app website(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Emma Riddell, Clinical Pharmacist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Date of review: June 2024
Platform: Desktop computer / Android phone
Comments: This 6-week programme is great for anyone who is wanting support and tips to make small changes to their habits and lifestyle in order to improve their health and blood pressure. The programme will not overload you with complex information – you will learn a bit about how to get your blood pressure checked and what it means, but the majority of the programme is support and tips for how to set yourself achievable goals to improve your health.
You will need to be motivated to make small changes to your habits in order to benefit from this programme. You only need to devote  about 10 minutes each week to watch the videos send by email, but the main benefit you will get is by engaging in the tasks set for you each week. The programme encourages you to involve your friends and whānau, but you could also get extra support by engaging with a health coach while you complete this programme (health coaches can be accessed free through many GP practices in NZ).
The information provided by this programme is mostly provided via short videos. The videos are very easy to follow, and you follow the same cast of characters each week as they learn about blood pressure and set their own goals. There are also videos of 2 people talking about their own health and blood pressure, and how they have made changes in their life to improve their health.
In addition to the videos, the emails often contain links to written information leaflets. These are easy to read and understand and are usually up to 2 pages in length. They contain realistic tips and information related to the topic in the video each week.
Safety concerns: None.
New Zealand relevance: Yes, this programme is very relevant to a New Zealand audience especially Māori adults. It has been developed by Māori for Māori.