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Environmental Health Intelligence Newsletter 26
December 2022
Welcome to EHINZ’s Christmas newsletter,
As you will read, 2022 was another highly productive year for EHINZ, providing intelligence on the environmental health of Aotearoa, New Zealand. For example;
- Twenty six factsheets, available fully interactively online, were produced, providing the latest information and intelligence
- Further enhancements of Healthspace
- Evaluation of the ten major environmental health issues affecting NZ
- Revamping the landing page of our website
- A new Māori health domain in development
- A successful virtual stakeholder meeting
- Contributing analysis of health and wellbeing indicators to the Evaluation of Healthy Families NZ programme.
EHINZ successfully lead the establishment of the Public Health Observatory New Zealand (PHONZ), which now has over 450 NZ and overseas members. PHONZ had a well-attended virtual conference in July and instituted monthly webinars. The second conference will be held in July 2023, combining face-to-face and live-streaming presentations.
On behalf of the EHINZ team, I want to wish you and your whānau all the very best for a very happy Christmas and New Year. We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration and sharing our environmental health intelligence with you in 2023.
The EHINZ homepage has been refreshed
The new homepage includes:
- Key findings from the EHINZ work.
- Latest news from our factsheets.
- A new children's health domain, with a Māori health, Hauora, domain in development.
- Links to the latest PHONZ seminars.
Virtual stakeholder meeting set for March 2023
These events are designed to give EHINZ’s stakeholders and other parties interested in our work an opportunity to engage with the team and learn about our recent successes and plans for 2022 and beyond.
If you would like to RSVP or find out more about the event, please contact us through the links provided at the bottom of this page.
As mentioned in the last newsletter, EHINZ has led the establishment of Public Health Observatory NZ (PHONZ), for which there are currently more that 450 members. There was a highly successful virtual conference in July, which included opening presentations from Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall and the then Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
Presenters of future PHONZ webinars include:
- Professor Shanti Ameratunga, University of Auckland
- Associate Professor Anna Matheson, Victoria University
- Dr Sala Senkayi, US EPA
- Dr Petra Muellner, Epi-Interactive
- Professor Mark Stevenson, University of Melbourne
Dr Lisa Lee, Virginia Tech, USA.
Healthy Families NZ Summative Evaluation Report 2022
The Healthy Families NZ Summative Evaluation Report 2022 was published in November. EHINZ contributed analysis of health and wellbeing indicators to the evaluation. The report describes the findings of the national evaluation of the Healthy Families NZ initiative funded by the Ministry of Health.
This study was carried out by a team of researchers from several organizations, led by Dr Gerda Kuschel (Emission Impossible Ltd).
In 2016, there were more than 3,300 deaths from human-made air pollution (PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide, NO2). Air pollution harms were mainly caused by transport and domestic fires – with transport having a much larger impact than previously thought.
Indoor Environment Indicators
Rō whare
For information relating to this domain contact Kirsty Craig
The number of LRTI hospitalisations in 0–4 year olds returned to pre-Covid-19 levels in 2021.
Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI)
38 babies died from SUDI (0.6 per 1,000 live births) in 2018, down from 48 deaths (0.8 per 1,000 live births) the previous year.
Asthma hospitalisations (0–14 years)
Asthma hospitalisations in children aged
0–14 years increased by more than 50% in 2021 after a substantial drop the previous year.
Meningococcal
Notifications
The number of meningococcal notifications dropped from 67 in 2019, to 16 in 2020.
Maternal smoking at two weeks postnatal
Maternal smoking rates at two weeks postnatal have decreased from 13.7% in 2009 to 8.6% in 2020.
Hazardous Substances Indicators
Matū mōrearea
For information relating to this domain contact Liam Kelly
Hazardous substance-related hospitalisations
Petrol & diesel were the most common hazardous substances, causing the majority of hospitalisations relating to flammable materials, smoke and flames, and organic solvents/hydrocarbons, in 2020–2021
Occupational lead absorption notifications
Occupational lead notification rates for Pacific Peoples (11.0 per 100,000) were four times greater than any other ethnic group while also having the highest median blood lead levels in 2020-2021.
Hazardous substance notifications
Children (0–14) are most likely to be injured from hazardous substances in the home through unintentional ingestion while adults (15+) are most likely to unintentionally inhale hazardous substances at work or in the home.
Non-Occupational lead absorption notifications
Lead-based paint is responsible for over a third of non-occupational lead notifications and the second highest median blood lead level, 0.69 µmol/L.
Transport Indicators
Tū waka
For information relating to this domain contact Kirsty Craig
Average age of motor vehicles
The New Zealand vehicle fleet continues to age, exacerbated by fewer vehicles entering or leaving the fleet during the coronavirus pandemic.
Unmet need for GP services due to a lack of transport
In 2020-2021, an estimated 110,000 New Zealanders (1.0% of children and 2.4% of adults) experienced an unmet need for GP services in the past year as they were unable to access transport.
Number of motor vehicles
Despite slower than usual growth in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Zealand vehicle fleet continues to expand to record sizes, rising to just over 4.4 million in 2020.
Air Quality Indicators
Te kounga o te āngi
For information relating to this domain contact Patrick Hipgrave
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations
New Zealand’s ability to monitor concentrations of fine particulate matter is limited by the number and distribution of PM2.5 monitoring stations, particularly in the South Island.
Nitrogen dioxide concentrations
New Zealand’s ability to monitor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels is limited by a small number of stations producing valid data. The majority of these stations recorded concentrations of NO2 well above WHO 2021 guideline levels in 2020.
Particulate matter concentrations (PM10)
There is a clear divide between the two main islands of New Zealand, with higher than recommended concentrations of PM10 being more common in the South than in the North.
Climate Change Indicators |
UV domain Indicators |
Border Health Indicators
Uruora
For information relating to this domain contact Liam Kelly
Overseas infectious diseases of priority concern
Measles cases in 2020 declined after 2019 which saw the most
cases in a single year in the 21st century.
Publications and Presentations
Members of the EHINZ team have published multiple articles.
One article in the Research in Health Services & Regions Journal:
The second in the New Zealand Medical Journal:
A third article surrounding data quality and its impacts on reporting of oral health:
A Stuff article surrounding the state of lead absorption in New Zealand:
The EHINZ team has changed
Welcome to Kirsty and Jack
Kirsty Craig joined the EHINZ team in September as a senior intelligence analyst. She has previously worked in data analysis and monitoring roles at MoH and Canterbury DHB. She has a MPH and an Honours degree in Psychology. Kirsty has taken over the Transport, UV radiation, and Māori environmental health domains. |
Jack Turnbull joined the EHINZ team in September as an intelligence analyst. He has a background in microbiology and genetics, graduating from Otago University with as MSc in Microbiology and Immunology. Jack has taken over the Recreational & drinking water, Animals & human health, and Children's environmental health domains. |
Good Luck Helene
|
Helene Masters, Senior Intelligence Analyst, has started 12 months of maternity leave, with plans to return at the end of 2023. In her absence, Kirsty Craig and Jack Turnbull will be maintaining the Indoor Environment domain. |
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All new online factsheets are fully interactive!!
Tool tips provide instant indicator information (values, CI's etc)
All the data behind charts, tables and maps is instantly downloadable.
Look for the 'interactive factsheet' icon on our website.
Charts, tables and maps can be instantly downloaded
Users can follow the key facts links to the relevant sections in the factsheet.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to email us.
