News and Updates

Latest News

Items that have appeared under News and Updates on the homepage can be viewed below.

Related information: NHC News and Updates.

2008
April 2008
5 Sep 2008 is the 30th anniversary of Alma Ata, a landmark event in the history of health policy.
In 1946 the World Health Organisation's definition of health declared health to be 'more than the absence of disease'. This view was expanded with respect to primary health care at the Alma Ata conference in 1978. Participants saw the need to recognise the many dimensions of wellbeing and agreed that primary health care should be people-focussed, informed by principles including accessibility and participation.

In this anniversary year, the work programme of the Public Health Advisory Committee continues to reflect the spirit of Alma Ata. Through projects addressing concerns such as Child Health as well as the health implications of the Urban Environment, the Committee's work continues to follow the WHO in seeing disease and impairment as a necessary but not sufficient focus. Rather we see health as connected to the quest for equity in opportunities and outcomes, and the development of a just society.

17 Apr Review on International Evidence Linking Health and the Urban Built Environment
This review will discuss the international evidence in relation to the health effects of the urban environment.

17 Apr Review on Healthy Urban Planning
This review will provide a brief introduction to the modern development of the Healthy Cities approach and healthy urban planning and identify the key features and methods that need to be developed to make it successful.

2007
March 2007
2 Mar: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
This report is a companion volume to the PHAC’s 2005 publication A Guide to HIA: a policy tool for New Zealand.

2 Mar: Media Release: Policy Makers Urged to Consider Health Impacts

2006
July 2006
Health Is Everyone's Business Working together for health and wellbeing
This report from the Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC) reviews issues facing public health given that many of the strongest influences on health come from outside the health sector.

Because of these influences, the key message to come from the PHAC work is that effective action to improve health and reduce inequalities will involve collaborative effort across sectors. The PHAC report explores ways to enhance opportunities and to reduce barriers to collaborative ways of working in new settings for public health action.

2005
May
Men and health: a literature review
In December 2004 the Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC) commissioned a literature review on men's health. The aim of the review was to critically examine literature about men and their health status to inform considerations about men’s health in New Zealand. The review confirms that health outcomes are poorer for New Zealand men than women, in terms of morbidity, mortality and life expectancy. The literature identifies several factors proven or suspected to cause the disparities in health outcomes between men and women. There is, however, little agreement on which of these factors impacts most on men’s health, and how to address these factors. The findings from the review suggest that more in-depth research is needed to provide a foundation for effective strategies to improve men’s health.

2004
October
The Health of People and Communities - A Way Forward: Public policy and the economic determinants of health
This report is concerned with the relationship between socioeconomic status and health. It shows that the chances of enjoying good health and a long life continue to reflect differences in socioeconomic position and ethnicity. And it focuses on the role that public policy can play in reducing inequalities in health.

March
A Guide to Health Impact Assessment
A Guide to Health Impact Assessment: A Policy Tool for New Zealand was prepared by the Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC) to introduce health impact assessment (HIA) as a practical way to ensure that health and wellbeing are considered when policy is being developed in all sectors.

2003

December
Report On Case Study In Public Transport Policy

Page last updated: 5 September 2008