Sir Collin Tukuitonga To Lead The New Zealand College Of Public Health Medicine

Sir Collin Tukuitonga will lead the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine (NZCPHM) for the next three years. Sir Collin is looking forward to his role as the incoming President of the NZCPHM.

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in health. The vision outlined in Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act is a real opportunity to address the persistent health inequities existing in Aotearoa. We all knew that doing more of the same was not going to improve health outcomes for Māori or Pacific people. Establishing Te Aka Whai Ora will give us chance to start working on a health system that is responsive to Māori and we be able to learn from this approach. I am looking forward to contributing to this mahi.”

“I am also encouraged to see Pacific health elevated to one of the six priorities within Pae Ora. Improving Pacific health is close to my heart, I was born and raised in Niue. One of the key issues for me, is ensuring we attract more Pacific people to work within the health so we can make Pae Ora a reality for Pacific peoples living in Aotearoa. Also, I would like to see the health system here supporting the medical workforce in the wider Pacific. For example, providing Pacific health workers with more opportunities to increase their clinical and public health skills by working alongside us here in Aotearoa.”

Sir Collin’s commitment to Pacific and public health was recognised in 2022 when he was made a Knight of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Sir Collin is a public health physician and is keen to build on Aotearoa’s successful public health interventions.

“Aotearoa did better than many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: overall we had lower death rates. We have also tackled tobacco smoking with positive outcomes: the proportion of smokers in our population is decreasing. Much of our success in these areas was down to following evidenced-based health policies. The Lancet Commission has made it clear that for health systems to do well there must be investment and support for public health, improved access to health care and strong health promotion. Following these principles, public health can improve people’s health and lift wellbeing.”

The New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine is the professional body representing the medical specialty of public health medicine in Aotearoa New Zealand. Public Health Medicine is the branch of medicine concerned with the assessment of population health and health care needs, the development of policy and strategy, health promotion, the control and prevention of disease, and the organisation of services. For information about our mahi, members or purpose visit our website www.nzcphm.org.nz

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