At the end of 2010 Convergence fulfilled a five-month contract acting as the DHB’s communications manager. The Canterbury DHB is the largest employer in the South Island and our work has involved a mix of strategic planning, managing the communications team and some tactical work. In addition to handling all DHB media enquiries (a 24/7 role) until a media liaison manager was appointed we have drafted and given a strategic overview for communications plans on a range of projects which dramatically change the way the DHB delivers services in the community – including the multi-million dollar Facilities Development Plan and the DHB’s Alcohol and Drug Project – as well as developing a new media policy.
In the course of this work we also assisted the West Coast DHB with crisis communications support in the aftermath of the Pike River Mine incident and travelled to the Coast on two occasions with the Canterbury DHB CEO. Convergence has worked with the Canterbury DHB for seven years on a range of projects from writing its annual reports, working as publications editor and numerous other projects such as the 2009 Stopping Swine Flu campaign and the 2005 Meningococcal B vaccination programme.