Preventing infectious diseases through immunisation

Community and Public Health is committed to encouraging immunisation amongst New Zealanders. Our main focuses are promoting the benefits of vaccination programmes and certifying the vaccinators who provide this valuable service.

Some Reasons Why Vaccination is Important

Community and Public Health is an advocate for vaccination programmes because immunisation uses the body’s immune system to build resistance to serious diseases.

An immunised individual helps protect vulnerable people in the community by decreasing the possibility of a disease spreading. These vulnerable people are infants, the elderly and those with impaired immune systems. This protective effect only occurs if enough people are vaccinated and is called ‘herd immunity’.

New Zealand has a low child immunisation rate compared with other countries. This results in regular outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The Ministry of Health’s target is that 95 percent of infants will have completed their primary course of immunisation on time (at six weeks, three months and five months of age).

• View informative videos on vaccine-preventable diseases (Immunisation Advisory Centre).
• Download or order immunisation resources from the Community Health Information Centre.
• View a list of South Island Immunisation Coordinators (Immunisation Advisory Centre).

Information on the COVID-19 Immunisation Programme

Updated: 7th April 2022

The COVID-19 vaccine is available for everyone aged 5 years and over – regardless of their visa or citizenship status.

Three different vaccines are now offered in New Zealand:

• Pfizer – the main vaccine given;
• AstraZeneca – available from selected locations; and
• Novavax – available from limited locations.

Booster jabs are now available for free to those aged 18 years and over who had their second COVID-19 vaccine dose at least three months ago.
People aged 16 and 17 years old can now get a free booster dose at least 6 months after their second COVID-19 vaccine dose.

It’s recommended you wait 3 months after testing positive for COVID-19, before getting any COVID-19 vaccination. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine sooner than this might reduce your immune response to the vaccine.

The vaccine will be free for everyone and no one will miss out. Having the vaccine will not be mandatory for Kiwis. The best way to protect yourself, your kaumātua and whānau is to get vaccinated.

Vaccinations are available at a range of locations, including pop-up centres, GPs, Māori and Pacific healthcare providers, mobile clinics and community clinics.

• Read or download resources on the COVID-19 vaccine – available in numerous languages and for those with learning difficulties (Ministry of Health).
• Get information on the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Canterbury, South Canterbury, the West Coast and Chatham Islands, including booster shots and vaccines for children.
• Find out about My COVID Record.

Documents

• Evidence of suboptimal maternal vaccination coverage in pregnant New Zealand women and increasing inequity over time: A nationwide retrospective cohort study (Vaccine 2022).
• Tips for overcoming needle phobia (Mental Health Foundation 2022).
• Group A Streptococcus and acute rheumatic fever in Aotearoa New Zealand: A summary of current knowledge in Aotearoa New Zealand (Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor 2021).
• Māori Māmā views and experiences of vaccinating their pēpi and tamariki: A qualitative Kaupapa Māori study (Health Promotion Agency 2021).
• Addendum to National Standards for Vaccine Storage and Transportation Providers 2017: 2nd edition (Ministry of Health 2021).
• More Than Just a Jab: Evaluation of the Māori Influenza Vaccination Programme as part of the COVID-19 Māori Health Response (Ministry of Health 2021).

• Immunisation Handbook 2020 (Ministry of Health 2020).
• Influenza vaccine supply chain report (Ministry of Health 2020).
• National Standards for Vaccine Storage and Transportation for Immunisation Providers 2017: 2nd edition (Ministry of Health 2019).
• Improving New Zealand’s childhood immunisation rates (Allen and Clarke 2019).
• Evaluation of the Implementation of the Varicella Vaccine Introduction (Allen and Clarke 2018).

• National Immunisation Schedule (Ministry of Health).
• Audience Research: Delayers of Infant Immunisation (Ministry of Health 2013).
• HPV Immunisation Programme Implementation Evaluation (Ministry of Health 2012).
• Targeting Immunisation: Increasing Immunisation (Ministry of Health 2011).
• Immunisation Audience Research (Ministry of Health 2011).

Downloads

Download or order resources from the Community Health Information Centre.

• Immunise your child on time.
• Immunise against HPV.
• Immunise against chickenpox.
• Immunisation for older people – also available in large print.
• Immunise during pregnancy.
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (HIb).
• BCG Vaccine: Information for Parents.

Links

• Immunisation (Ministry of Health).
• National Immunisation Register (Ministry of Health).
• Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC).

Year 7 and 8 Immunisation Videos

Both boys and girls are offered free immunisations at around age 11 against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis), and at around age 12 against human papillomavirus (HPV).

These immunisations are provided by general practices in Canterbury. Other parts of the South Island provide Year 7 immunisation through general practice and Year 8 at school.

Watch videos from the Ministry of Health that explain these Year 7 and 8 immunisations.