A much-needed new health service run by leading recovery provider Challenge Trust was officially opened today by Christine Rankin. The eating disorders service Thrive is the result of an $8 million contract between Challenge Trust and the Auckland District Health Board to provide residential and day programme treatment to 15- to 24-year-olds with eating disorders.

This is the first service of its kind in the upper North Island, and will operate from premises in Parnell, Auckland.

Clive Plucknett, CEO of Challenge Trust, says, "This service has been needed for many years in this part of New Zealand. Previously, many people seeking treatment for eating disorders have had to go to facilities overseas, often at considerable financial and emotional costs to themselves and their loved ones. Challenge Trust is proud to partner with the DHBs in the upper North Island in providing the best possible service and making a real difference in the lives of people affected by eating disorders."

Christine Rankin, an advocate for children and families, says, "It is a great privilege to officially open Thrive on behalf of Challenge Trust, which provides valuable and effective recovery services through much of the North Island. It will bring its expertise to bear in providing these services to people with eating disorders, and I have no doubt, given Challenge Trust's established record, that Thrive will become a world-class service."