Media Releases

Policy Makers Urged to Consider Health Impacts

2 March 2007

Central and local government policy makers are being encouraged to consider the impact their activities have on people’s health and wellbeing. Speaking today at the launch of the Public Health Advisory Committee’s (PHAC’s) publication on health impact assessment (HIA), Chair of the PHAC Geoff Fougere said all sectors needed to take opportunities to enhance the health and wellbeing of the communities they served.

An idea whose time has come: New opportunities for Health Impact Assessment in New Zealand public policy and planning encourages policy makers to formally assess potential impacts on health and wellbeing as a routine part of policy making.

“The settings in which people live, work and play have a significant impact on their health and wellbeing but they are largely outside the influence of the health sector,” he said.

“Public polices relating to housing, transport, urban design, food standards, education and employment are just some of the policies that affect health and wellbeing across the population. This means health improvement depends on much more than health services.

“An idea whose time has come discusses what health impacts are, the benefits of HIA, what the PHAC has learned from its work on HIA, describes some HIA case studies, and considers what is needed to make HIA a routine part of policy making in New Zealand.

“Public policies aim to benefit the whole population but can result in unintended negative effects on health and wellbeing, including the widening of health disparities. HIA is used to assist in reducing health inequalities through planning and policy-making processes.”

Geoff Fougere said the document would be of particular relevance to policy makers in central and local government agencies and to public health practitioners who may be called on to support HIA.

It is a companion document to the PHAC’s 2005 publication A Guide to HIA: a policy tool for New Zealand. It is also related to the 2006 PHAC publication Health is everyone’s business, which emphasises that effective action to improve health and reduce health inequalities will involve collaborative effort across sectors.

In the report’s Foreword, Prime Minister Helen Clark says the Government is convinced of the benefits of HIA for public policy and has signalled that government agencies will be expected to introduce some means of formal health assessment of new policies and legislation during their development.

Although HIA is relatively new in New Zealand, it is a well-established approach internationally. In September 2006, the New Zealand Government announced funding to support HIA on new government policy and legislation. The funding will be used to establish an HIA support team to provide agencies with public health information and expertise.

An idea whose time has come: New opportunities for Health Impact Assessment in New Zealand public policy and planning will be available on the National Health Committee’s website from 10.30am, Friday 2 March 2007.

For further information:
Liz Price, National Health Committee communications, 04 527 3290,
0276 957 744.