An idea whose time has come, new opportunities for Health Impact Assessment in New Zealand public policy and planning.

This report is from the Public Health Advisory Committee (PHAC) and is intended for central and local government agencies to increase their awareness and understanding of Health Impact Assessment (HIA). It states that: "The good health and wellbeing of the population is largely a product of the settings in which people live, work and play. This means that improving the health and wellbeing of the population requires more than the provision of health care services. It requires new ways of working together with new approaches and new tools (PHAC 2006). In September 2006, the Government announced funding to support HIA on new government policy and legislation. The funding will be used to establish an HIA support team to provide agencies with public health information and expertise. HIA experience is growing in New Zealand and internationally. Evaluations in New Zealand show positive responses to the process by agencies who have undertaken HIA. Completed HIAs have significantly influenced the policies and plans being assessed. In addition, HIAs have engaged Maori and other key stakeholders to be actively involved in the policy where there had previously been little involvement. They have also improved relationships across sectors, and resulted in the establishment of jointly-funded secondments and an improved understanding of what influences people’s health and wellbeing." This report is a companion volume to the PHAC’s 2005 publication ' Guide to HIA: a policy tool for New Zealand' Available at: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/0/716C83DA11C4EA81CC25729100730347 See also: http://www.phac.health.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexcm/phac-hia