One Health Aotearoa Symposium 2023

One Health in a Changing World

Our 9th symposium was held on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 December 2023 at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre and online.

The annual One Health Aotearoa Symposium aims to bring together experts from the fields of animal, human and environmental health in order to address important One Health issues in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Programme for the 9th OHA Symposium

DAY 1: Tuesday, 5 December

Session 1:

Session 2:

  • Plenary: Alison Collins, Ministry for the Environment
    The quiet one – the role of the environment in One Health
  • Steve Chambers, University of Otago
    The COMBINE study: Defining the impact of combined community-wide screening and mass chemoprophylaxis for leprosy in Kiribati: a prospective community implementation study
  • Emilie Vallee & Masako Wada , Massey University
    The use of artificial intelligence in epidemiological research and disease surveillance – case studies linking climate and health data
  • Emilie Sadler, Massey University
    The effects of climate change on Leptospirosis incidence in livestock in New Zealand

Session 3:

Session 4:

  • Plenary: Rhys Jones, University of Auckland
    Tackling the climate-health crisis: from decarbonisation to decolonisation
  • Penelope Drysdale, Te Miro Farm, Arapera Paewai, Taiao Ora Contracting Ltd, Amy Gault, Wilderlab NZ Ltd.
    Environmental DNA as a holistic measure of pastoral landscape effects on taonga species
  • Liping Pang, ESR
    Protecting our freshwaters from waterborne diseases using novel pathogen surrogate technology
  • Poster Presentations

DAY 2: Wednesday, 6 December

Session 5:

  • Plenary: Andy Gibson, Mission Rabies/Worldwide Vet Service
    Mission Rabies: A real-world example of One Health collaboration in action
  • Kate McInnes, Department of Conservation
    DOC preparedness for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
  • Delphane Rapp, AgResearch
    Longitudinal monitoring of Campylobacter jejuni in dairy calves: insights into population dynamics and epidemiological determinants
  • Mary van Andel, Ministry for Primary Industries
    One Health – developing a sustainable tool kit in a changing world

Session 6:

  • Plenary: Reem Abbas, Auckland University of Technology
    Thoughts into New Zealand’s Response to Covid-19: What went well, what went wrong, and how can we be better prepared for future pandemics
  • Joseph Blondeau, University of Saskatchewan
    An overview of human infections with bacterial pathogens from animals: A Series of Cases from Saskatoon, Canada
  • Roger Morris, Massey University
    Building a Pathway to One Health Surveillance and Response in South Asia

Session 7:

Session 8:

  • Plenary: David Hayman, Massey University
    Implementing One Health Approaches
  • Andrew Sporle, University of Auckland
    Describing outcomes, monitoring equity, or informing action? Why our infectious disease surveillance system needs to change
  • Nigel French, Massey University
    Pandemic planning and preparedness: a One Health perspective
  • Emma Sumner, Ministry for Primary Industries
    An Exploratory Study into the relationships between National Cultural Dimensions and One Health Receptiveness

Session 9

Kristen Dyet, Mike Maze, Joanna Mckenzie – One Health Aotearoa Co-directors
One Health Aotearoa update


Plenary speakers

  • Reem Abbas (Auckland University of Technology)
  • Alison Collins (Ministry of the Environment, New Zealand)
  • Andy Gibson (Misson Rabies/Worldwide Vet Service)
  • David Hayman (Massey University)
  • Rhys Jones (University of Auckland)
  • Richard Webby (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA)

Invited speakers

  • Mary van Andel (MPI)
  • Angela Cornelius (ESR)
  • Scott Ferguson (University of Otago)
  • Nigel French (Massey University, Te Niwha)
  • Philip Hulme (Lincoln University)
  • Kate McInnes (Department of Conservation)
  • Liping Pang (ESR)
  • Andrew Sporle (University of Auckland)
  • Emma Sumner (MPI)
  • Emilie Vallee (Massey University)
  • Masako Wada (Massey University)
  • David Winter (ESR)
  • Karen Wright (University of Auckland)

OHA Symposium archives