Dr Caroline McElnay, of Napier, QSO, for services to public health
Dr Caroline McElnay was Director of Public Health with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and helped lead New Zealand’s response to COVID-19. She led public health advice to inform policy development, public health risk assessments of local cases and outbreaks, and assessment of outbreaks in quarantine-free travel states in Australia. She has worked with government agencies and public health units to support their COVID-19 response, and provided advice on the vaccination programme. She monitored global developments and assessed risks with Australian counterparts as a member of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. She committed to ensuring public health interventions delivered evidence-based, equitable outcomes. She collaborated on a paper analysing the impact of New Zealand’s initial response to COVID-19. Dr McElnay had a leading role in MoH’s communications to the public.