Preventing infectious diseases through immunisation
Te Mana Ora | 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
Te Mana Ora | 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. Te Whatu Ora aims to increase vaccination rates so that 95 percent of children are fully immunised by two years of age. This is for all vaccines as listed on the National Immunisation Schedule.
- View informative videos on vaccine-preventable diseases (Immunisation Advisory Centre).
- Download or order immunisation resources from the Community Health Information Centre.
- Find out about vaccines available in New Zealand, such as Bexsero, Boostrix, Shingrix and Zostavax (Immunisation Advisory Centre).
- View a list of South Island Immunisation Coordinators (Immunisation Advisory Centre).
New pilot with Plunket to deliver childhood immunisations
Health New Zealand media release: 9th October 2024
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and Whānau Āwhina Plunket will pilot the delivery of childhood immunisations at a select number of sites across the country to increase access and boost immunisation rates. The new pilot programme is funded to run until June 2026.
“This is an exciting but natural next step for us to train our specialist nurses and healthcare workers to begin offering childhood immunisations, alongside our existing services,” Plunket Chief Executive Fiona Kingsford says.
Health NZ’s National Public Health Service National Director, Dr Nick Chamberlain says it’s critical that childhood immunisation rates improve, and it is hoped that this pilot will help.
“The Immunisation Taskforce Report recommended expanding the vaccinator workforce, which includes enabling all Well Child Tamariki Ora providers to deliver childhood immunisations. Involving Whānau Āwhina Plunket in this approach will further support reaching our immunisation goals, given their engagements with whānau across the motu.”
Whānau Āwhina Plunket will trial offering immunisation alongside in-clinic Well Child visits, at dedicated immunisation clinics and community events, and eventually at home.
“Our hope is that in time this will help to ease pressure on not just primary care but the broader health system and ultimately, lift immunisation rates where it’s needed most,”says Dr Nick Chamberlain.
- Find out more about the symptoms of measles (Ministry of Health).
Tracking vaccination with the Aotearoa Immunisation Register
New Zealanders can receive vaccinations from a range of health providers over their lifetime. The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) was launched in late 2023 and is designed to:
- provide an accurate understanding of population immunisation coverage rates. This means programmes can be planned better to support populations with the lowest immunisation rates;
- reduce digital barriers and support the health sector to deliver better immunisation services; and
- give New Zealanders a way to record and track immunisations they have received and are entitled to.
AIR replaced the old National Immunisation Register (NIR) and COVID Immunisation Register (CIR).
- Find out more about the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR).
- Find out what vaccines are on the National Immunisation Schedule in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Documents
- Immunisation Handbook 2024 – Version 6 (Health NZ).
- Initial Priorities for the National Immunisation Programme in Aotearoa (Te Whatu Ora 2023).
- Evaluation of the Māori Influenza and Measles Vaccination Programme: In Pursuit of Māori Health Equity (Ministry of Health 2022).
- 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).
- 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).
Downloads
Download or order resources from the Community Health Information Centre.
- Set your tamariki up for a healthy future.
- Protect against most types of cancers caused by HPV – available in multiple languages.
- Immunisation for older people – also available in multiple languages and large print.
- Protecting you and your pēpi starts during pregnancy – available to download in multiple languages.
- BCG Vaccine: Information for parents – available in multiple languages.
Links
- Immunisation (Health New Zealand).
- Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC).
Contact the Communicable Disease staff at your local office for further information:
CANTERBURY, MID CANTERBURY AND CHATHAM ISLANDS
Ph: +64 3 364 1777
SOUTH CANTERBURY
Ph: +64 3 687 2600
WEST COAST
Ph: +64 3 768 1160
For questions on immunisation and vaccination-preventable diseases, call:
0800 IMMUNE
0800 466863
8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday
For questions on the COVID-19 vaccine and how to book, call:
0800 28 29 26
8am to 8pm – 7 days a week.
0800 11 12 12 or text 8988 if you have a disability (24/7).
How to book a vaccine appointment
Other vaccines can be booked directly with your doctor, nurse, or healthcare provider – including those for children under the age of 13.
Your local pharmacy may also offer FREE childhood immunisations.
The HPV vaccine is safe, long-lasting and it’s FREE
HPV is a common virus that can cause 6 types of cancer – in the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and mouth/throat.
HPV vaccination can provide long-term protection for tamariki from HPV cancers.
The FREE vaccine is offered through most schools in Year 8. This is the best age to get it. If tamariki miss getting the HPV vaccine at school, they can still get it free at their medical centre.
Teens and young adults who didn’t have the HPV vaccine in Year 8 also need to be vaccinated. It’s free through their medical centre or family planning clinic up until their 27th birthday.
Information on the COVID-19 Immunisation Programme
- Read or download resources on the COVID-19 vaccine – available in numerous languages and for those with learning difficulties (Ministry of Health).
- Book your COVID booster shots online with Book My Vaccine.
- Get the latest on where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Canterbury, the West Coast and the Chatham Islands.
- Get the latest on where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in South Canterbury.