Sir Collin Tukuitonga will lead the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine (NZCPHM) for the next three years. Sir Collin looks 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 is a public health physician and is keen to build on Aotearoa’s successful public health interventions.
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.
