Public Health Expert

Featured image: ‘Overjoyed’: a leading health expert on New Zealand’s coronavirus shutdown, and the challenging weeks ahead

‘Overjoyed’: a leading health expert on New Zealand’s coronavirus shutdown, and the challenging weeks ahead

Public Health Expert • Mar 24, 2020

Michael Baker, University of Otago Overjoyed. That’s not a word epidemiologists normally use, but that’s how I felt after hearing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement about New Zealand’s COVID-19 shutdown of everything except essential services for at least four weeks from midnight on Wednesday. More than anything, I just felt a huge sense of relief. That … Read More

Featured image: Why New Zealand needs to continue decisive action to contain coronavirus

Why New Zealand needs to continue decisive action to contain coronavirus

Public Health Expert • Mar 19, 2020

Michael Baker, University of Otago and Nick Wilson, University of Otago With some of the toughest border restrictions and a newly-announced NZ$500 million boost to health services, New Zealand is among a small number of countries with a strategy to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand is also fortunate in having a brief window of opportunity to refine … Read More

Featured image: COVID-19 has now reached New Zealand. How prepared is it to deal with a pandemic?

COVID-19 has now reached New Zealand. How prepared is it to deal with a pandemic?

Public Health Expert • Mar 04, 2020

Michael Baker, University of Otago and Nick Wilson, University of Otago New Zealand joined 48 other countries affected by the novel coronavirus last week when health authorities confirmed the first COVID-19 case. The news prompted panic buying of supplies in some places, but it had long been expected. The management of the case seemed exemplary. Shortly after … Read More

Featured image: Proposed Vaping Regulations for NZ: Strengths and Limitations

Proposed Vaping Regulations for NZ: Strengths and Limitations

Public Health Expert • Feb 25, 2020

Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, Andrew Waa, Nick Wilson, George Thomson Minister Jenny Salesa announced the Government’s long-awaited Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill on Sunday 23 February.  The Bill contains some important provisions as it works to strike a balance between ensuring regulated products are available to smokers wishing to quit, while at the same time … Read More

Featured image: Updating the role of the state: the case of housing in New Zealand

Updating the role of the state: the case of housing in New Zealand

Public Health Expert • Feb 17, 2020

Prof Philippa Howden-Chapman Housing policy is building up to be the key election issue again. In this blog I reflect on the importance of the role of the New Zealand Government in improving access to affordable housing. I look at what the Government has been doing to increase quality public housing and to reduce homelessness and why the public housing waiting … Read More

Featured image: Getting Through Together: Ethical Values for a Pandemic

Getting Through Together: Ethical Values for a Pandemic

Public Health Expert • Feb 14, 2020

Ruth Cunningham, Charlotte Paul, Andrew Moore Public health responses to infectious diseases such as COVID-19 require us to draw on our common humanity and be explicit about our values. Recognising this will help us make good decisions in difficult situations so that, for example, the need to impose restrictive measures and to protect ourselves does not conflict with fairness, respect, … Read More

Featured image: NZ Should Prepare for a Potentially Severe Global Coronavirus Pandemic

NZ Should Prepare for a Potentially Severe Global Coronavirus Pandemic

Public Health Expert • Feb 10, 2020

Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker In this blog we briefly summarise our assessment of the highly uncertain new coronavirus threat. Given its potential to become a severe and prolonged global pandemic, a precautionary response now means activating all components of our pandemic plan, with a particular focus on ‘keep it out’. NZ has many natural and institutional advantages in … Read More

Featured image: A preventable measles epidemic: Lessons for reforming public health in NZ

A preventable measles epidemic: Lessons for reforming public health in NZ

Public Health Expert • Feb 05, 2020

Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick Wilson, Louise Delany, Prof Richard Edwards, Prof Philippa Howden-Chapman The current national measles epidemic in New Zealand is amongst the largest we have experienced in the last 40 years. It can be linked to the problems created by long-term erosion and fragmentation of national public health capacity. Fortunately, the present Health and Disability System Review … Read More

Featured image: Tobacco Excise Taxes and the Smokefree 2025 Goal: Some Ways Forward

Tobacco Excise Taxes and the Smokefree 2025 Goal: Some Ways Forward

Public Health Expert • Jan 16, 2020

Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, George Thomson, Andrew Waa, Nick Wilson Debate over tobacco tax increases has intensified as research indicates potentially conflicting policy directions. On the one hand, excise tax increases continue to stimulate quit attempts among smokers yet, on the other hand, they may lead to financial hardship for some smokers and increase retail crime. In this blog, we … Read More