Health protection officers: what they might do:
monitor and remove exotic mosquitoes around seaports and airports
check homes and advise families on taking action for lead poisoning
follow up a case of infectious disease to prevent it from spreading
investigate a chemical spill and provide advice to protect the public develop a food safety programme.
What school subjects do you need to be a health protection officer?
Chemistry and biology lay a sound foundation for health protection work.
What qualifications will you need to be a health protection officer?
To be a designated HPO in a public health unit, you need academic, practical and personal competencies that have been identified by the Director-General of Health.
Academic competencies (skills and knowledge) will be achieved by anyone completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (health protection major) from Auckland University of Technology, or a Bachelor of Applied Science (environmental health major) from Massey University.
However if you already have a Bachelor of Science you could complete the Graduate Diploma in Environmental Health (Massey University) or other public health qualifications.
Contact your local public health unit for advice about your particular requirements.
Health protection officers: who employs them?
Health protection officers are part of public health teams in the District Health Board. Many take on a specialist role such as biosecurity, drinking water, or smokefree environments, while retaining some general tasks.
Other roles, related to HPOs, include technical officers in public health units and environmental health officers in territorial local authorities.
In the future, a wider range of organisations may seek the sort of skills which health protection officers bring to public health and the professional scope of this work may grow.
Further information: