One Health Aotearoa Symposium 2019

The fifth One Health Aotearoa symposium was held on Tuesday 10 – Wednesday 11 December 2019 at the University of Otago, Wellington.

The aim of our One Health Aotearoa symposia is to bring together experts from the fields of animal, human and environmental health in order to address priority One Health issues in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

One Health aims to improve health and well-being through integrated, cross-sectoral, and whole-of-society approaches to health hazards. While infectious diseases research remains at the core of the Centre’s research programme, our 5th symposium is open to the wider One Health context.

5th OHA Symposium programme

The OHA Symposium Organising Committee is excited to release the preliminary programme which covers the big One Health issues affecting New Zealand and further afield.

Plenary speakers

Anthony Capon

Tony Capon directs the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and holds a chair in Planetary Health in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.

Tony is Ngai Tahu iwi and was born on a sheep farm in South Otago.  An Australian trained public health physician, his research focuses on urbanisation, sustainable development and human health.

Tony is a former director of the International Institute for Global Health at United Nations University (UNU-IIGH), and has previously held professorial appointments at the University of Sydney and Australian National University.  He is a member of the Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health.

Lyn Carter

Dr Lyn Carter (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha Iwi) is a Senior Lecturer at Te Tumu, School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, University of Otago. Lyn is Programme coordinator as well as a lecturer for the Indigenous Studies Programme in Te Tumu. Lyn also contributes lectures and co-ordinates the interdisciplinary approach to climate change course housed in the Faculty of Law.

Lyn is Principle Investigator for two National Science Challenge Research Programmes: The Bio Heritage Challenge project explored the use of Indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation for mahika kai (resources) in her own hapū region; and The Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities Challenge project that investigated how Matauranga Maori could become an integral part of the New Zealand Cadastral system in urban and semi-urban planning and development.

Her main research area is environmental literacy with a key focus on Indigenous development and sustainability in the context of climate change. Lyn has published widely in Academic Journals and books, and presented at a number of International and national conferences, including as invited keynote speaker. Her most recent publications include the book Indigenous Pacific Approaches to climate change: Aotearoa New Zealand (Palgrave McMillian Series in Disaster Studies ); and Kā Rūnaka expectations for oil and gas companies in East Otago (a Runaka engagement policy).

Lyn has recently been appointed to the Age Concern Advisory Panel (Ministry for Social Development); is a board member for The Polynesian Society (University of Auckland); and is the Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka representative for Toitū, Otago Settlers Museum, and the Otago Natural History Trust that oversees Orokonui Eco Sanctuary. Her other key role for the Rūnaka is developing the climate change strategy alongside Rūnaka rangatahi (youth).

Jacqueline Norris

Jacqui Norris is a Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, at the University of Sydney. She is a registered practicing veterinarian and is passionate about practical research projects and education programs for veterinary professionals, animal breeders and animal owners.

Her main research areas include: 1) Development of diagnostics and treatments for companion animal viral diseases; 2) prevention of Q fever and role of companion animals and wildlife in the epidemiology; 3) Multidrug resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus species in all animals including humans; 4) Knowledge, attitudes and barriers to veterinary antimicrobial stewardship; and 5) aetiology and diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in domestic and zoo Felids.

Samuel Sheppard

Sam Sheppard is Professor and Director of Bioinformatics at the Milner Centre for Evolution (University of Bath), Co-PI of MRC-CLIMB (Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics) and honorary Professor of Microbiology at Swansea University. Before joining Bath from Swansea in 2016, he worked for nearly ten years at the University of Oxford as RA and Wellcome Trust Fellow.

Sam’s research centres on the use of genetics/genomics and phenotypic studies to address complex questions in the ecology, epidemiology and evolution of microbes. His most recent interest focuses upon comparative genome analysis to describe the core and accessory genome of pathogenic bacteria (Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, Helicobacter and Escherichia coli) and how this is related to population genetic structuring, the maintenance of species, and the evolution of host/niche adaptation and virulence.

Invited speakers

• John Roche (Chief Science Adviser, MPI)
• Julie Collins Emerson (Massey)
• Brent Gilpin (ESR)
• Andrew Gormley (Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research)
• Jackie Wright (ESR)
• Kate Thomas (Otago)
• Cheryl Brunton (Canterbury District Health Board)
• Nicola King (ESR)
• Sarah Jefferies (ESR)
• Scott McDougall (Anexa FVC)
• Kristin Dyet (ESR)
• Jonathan Marshall (Massey)
• Petra Pearce (NIWA)

Symposium venue

The 5th One Health Aotearoa Symposium will be held at:

Nordmeyer Theatre
University of Otago, Wellington
23 Mein Street
Newtown, Wellington

One Health Aotearoa Symposium archives

Visit the 4th One Health Aotearoa Symposium presentations archive 
Visit the 3rd One Health Aotearoa Symposium presentations archive
Visit the 2nd One Health Aotearoa Symposium presentations archive