POLICY workshops
Kia ora and welcome to the PHANZ Policy Workshop Series
This page hosts a series of short workshop webinars developed to accompany the release of PHANZ policy position statements. Each session includes a quick overview of the policy position, followed by a presentation from a public health expert who shares insights into the importance of policy and advocacy in improving health outcomes and addressing inequities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
These sessions are open to everyone — no membership login is required.
Nau mai, haere mai – we’re glad you’re here.
POLICY WORKSHOPS
PHANZ PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY - overview
June 2025
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
Overview of Workshop
This workshop provides an introduction to public health policy, outlining why and how the Public Health Association uses policy as a tool to improve the health of the population in Aotearoa New Zealand.
EQUALLY WELL: IMPROVING THE PHYSICAL WELLBEING OF PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION ISSUES
26 March 2026
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
PHANZ Member Public Health Experts: Dr Helen Lockett and Mau Te Rangimarie Clark
Policy Position Statement Overview:
The PHANZ supports the ‘Equally Well’ movement, which is a collaboration of organisations seeking to address the unmet physical health needs of people with lived experience of mental health and addiction issues.
This policy position statement builds on this, affirming that addressing the physical health inequities faced by people with mental health and addiction issues is a public health priority.
About our PHANZ Member Public Health Experts:
Dr Helen Lockett is Chief Science Advisor - Te Kaiārahi Pūtaiao for the Wise Group and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow, University of Otago Wellington. Helen has held strategic roles across the Wise Group for the past fifteen years, including supporting the creation and development of Equally Well Aotearoa.
Mau Te Rangimarie Clark is a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch. Mau’s research focuses on the under-examined area of Indigenous experiences of eating disorders, particularly how ongoing colonisation shapes both the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Mau’s broader research portfolio includes work on the physical health experiences of people living with mental health and substance use conditions, with a focus on how systemic barriers impact access to healthcare.
ORAL TOBACCo AND NICOTINE PRODUCTS
19 March 2026
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
PHANZ Member Public Health Expert: Professor Janet Hoek
Policy Position Statement Overview:
The policy position statement affirms that while oral tobacco and nicotine products are often promoted as safer alternatives to smoking, or tools to reduce harm or help quit smoking, current evidence does not support these claims. Rather, there is a risk that their sale could increase nicotine addiction, worsen health inequities, and create new harms—particularly for rangatahi and Māori.
As such, the PHA’s statement opposes the sale of oral tobacco and nicotine products until robust, independent evidence shows they are genuinely safe and effective.
About our PHANZ Member Public Health Expert:
Janet Hoek is a professor of public health at the University of Otago, Wellington; she co-directs ASPIRE Aotearoa, a University of Otago Research Centre, and Te Tupu o te Harakeke, a Health Research Council (HRC) programme. Her work focuses on tobacco control and has explored on-pack smoking warnings and plain packaging, endgame measures including denicotinisation, reducing tobacco availability, and the smokefree generation policy. Janet collaborates on several NHMRC funded projects, serves on national and international research and policy advisory groups, and is currently a Senior Editor at Tobacco Control, the leading tobacco policy journal.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH
25 June 2025
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
PHANZ Member Public Health Expert: Professor Alistair Woodward
Policy Position Statement Overview:
This policy position statement highlights the challenges facing population health in Aotearoa New Zealand as a result of climate change. The statement supports a climate justice approach that places health, equity, and the voices, rights, and needs of those most impacted, at the heart of all climate action in Aotearoa New Zealand. The statement also supports maximising opportunities to improve health and health equity as part of climate change policy, and mitigation and adaptation strategies to combat climate change.
About our PHANZ Member Public Health Expert:
Professor Alistair Woodward, a public health expert and environmental advocate, serves as a Professor at the University of Auckland and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Epidemiology. His work examines the relationship between environmental factors, health, and climate action.
SCHOOL-AGE NUTRITION AND KA ORA, KA AKO
24 June 2025
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
PHANZ Member Public Health Expert: Professor Lisa Te Morenga
Policy Position Statement Overview:
This policy position statement highlights the importance of food security and providing healthy food options for tamariki (children) and rangatahi (youth), and the resulting social, economic and health benefits for population health (both in the short and long term). In particular, the statement supports a robust, evidenced-based, community-centred and permanently funded Ka Ora, Ka Ako (Health School Lunches Programme) as a critical way of reducing the impact of food insecurity.
About our PHANZ Member Public Health Expert:
PHANZ member Lisa Te Morenga (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Uri o Hua, Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa) is a nutrition and Māori health researcher based in the Massey University Research Centre for Hauora and Health, a Rutherford Discovery Fellow and Principle Investigator with the Riddet Centre of Research Excellence. Broadly her research interests relate to supporting individuals, whānau and communities to achieve good health through being able to access healthy affordable food. Lisa’s research is translational – applying basic nutrition evidence to enhance human health and wellbeing, and ultimately informing food and nutrition policy. She has been developing a programme of research on foods and their impact on health, particularly in Māori.
FRESHWATER AND HEALTH
12 June 2025
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
PHANZ Member Public Health Expert: Marnie Prickett
Policy Position Statement Overview:
This policy position statement supports a precautionary, equity-focused, and Te Tiriti-aligned response to freshwater policy, to improve and protect the ecological health of waterways, reduce nitrate contamination of drinking water sources, and restore the mauri (life force) of waterbodies to protect population health.
About our PHANZ Member Public Health Expert:
PHANZ member Marnie Prickett is a Research Fellow in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington. Marnie has a background in freshwater ecology and agricultural science. She has been an advisor to government on freshwater policy and to state-owned farming company Pāmu (Landcorp) on improving protection for the environment.
Her current work in the department focuses on analysis of freshwater policy and the communication of water issues, with a particular focus on drinking water source protection.
She is interested in improving landscape-scale decision making to protect and improve the health of communities and the natural environment.
COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION
11 June 2025
Host: Luke Garland, PHANZ Senior Policy Advisor
PHANZ Member Public Health Expert: Heuiwon (Chris) Han
Policy Position Statement Overview:
This policy position statement supports the effectiveness, safety and cost-efficiency of community water fluoridation in improving oral health, and in reducing oral health inequities, in Aotearoa New Zealand.
About our PHANZ Member Public Health Expert:
PHANZ member Heuiwon (Chris) Han is an Oral Health Senior Lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology. Prior to his academic role, Chris worked in both public and private dental sectors, delivering comprehensive oral health care to diverse communities. Chris is serving as a community engagement director (executive member) of Te Ohu Pūniho Ora o Aotearoa – New Zealand Oral Health Association, as well as an editorial board member of the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Dental and Oral Health Therapy. In 2024, Chris joined the College of Oral Health Academics executive committee and has been appointed as a member of the Oral Health National Clinical Network (Te Whatu Ora), which aims to address accessible, integrated and equitable oral health outcomes.
