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Beautiful benchtops: How should we protect our workers?
… and construction workers. Applying Australian data, 250 of the 1000 New Zealand workers who’ve fabricated engineered … government is currently calling for feedback on a range of options to control the risks from engineered stone. A ban … further avoidable health harms, along with a registry of exposed workers to ensure effective follow-up. However, …
Briefing
Why NZ should consider adopting “mass masking” as an additional step to speed elimination of the Covid-19 pandemic
… is some suggestive laboratory and epidemiological evidence of benefit for such mask use. Since the costs of mass masking are relatively low and there are no apparent … doubt that surgical masks can be used to reduce the spread of respiratory infections [1]. In health care settings masks …
Briefing
Comparing the Covid-19 response and major outcomes in island nations
… strategies. Therefore, when faced with the threat of a severe pandemic, island nations should consider such … cases and over seven million confirmed deaths ( as of June 2025 ). When we consider estimates of excess mortality (arguably a more robust measure of …
Briefing
Risk proportionate regulation of nicotine and tobacco products: More rhetoric than reality
… to the harm that they cause. However, following repeal of the previous Government’s smokefree measures, regulation … restrict the availability, appeal, and addictiveness of smoked tobacco products. At the same time, they must … Zealand. Risk proportionate regulation requires regulation of consumer products proportionate to the harm they cause …
Briefing
Does healthy food really cost more?
… on how you measure the cost. This blog post looks at some of the different metrics and suggests that we need to consider several of them to get a better understanding of this important issue. Monitoring the price of foods …
Briefing
The long shadow of war on the health of military personnel
… This blog post looks at a recently published study of the lifespan of NZ soldiers who participated in the First World War. It … in foreign military engagements. The study that a group of us published in a recent December edition of the British …
Briefing
New report shows how regional plans could transform freshwater quality
… highlights valuable and timely lessons for better ways of safeguarding and improving freshwater quality identified … next generation of regional plans, which are under development and must be completed by the end of 2024. … lakes using Overseer software, which after some years of criticism was found to be inappropriate for such regulatory …
Briefing
Where do the parties stand? Addressing Māori health inequity
… Summary We look at questions of Māori health equity in the fourth in the series “Where do … Communication Centre survey need to be seen in the context of the legislation, the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022, … recommended system-level changes that would be sustainable, lead to better and more equitable outcomes for …
Briefing
Potential new regulatory options for e-cigarettes/ANDS in NZ
… scientific evidence-base regarding the benefits and risks of these types of products remains uncertain. The health-based policy … industry should be entirely excluded from the policy development process around any further regulation of ANDS. …
Briefing
Preventing outbreaks of COVID-19 in NZ associated with air travel from Australia: New Modelling study of alternatives to quarantine
… In this new study, we estimated the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks associated with air travel from Australia (with a low prevalence of COVID-19 infection) to NZ. We found that the combined use … and NZ in terms of a trans-Tasman “bubble” [2]. Another development is that many major airlines are also bringing in …
Briefing

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