Ngā Tai Ora - Public Health Northland

Ngā Tai Ora - Public Health Northland,  is one of twelve public health units across New Zealand.

The name is taken from the full phrase ‘Ngā Tai Ora o Te Tai Tokerau’ which references the tides and currents that move in and out of our harbours, waterways, and around our coastline.  Those tides and currents move in many different ways, bringing daily change, supporting and influencing life, and sustaining environments and communities.  Shortened to Ngā Tai Ora the name symbolises the many things that influence and support the health and wellbeing of our people and environment across Tai Tokerau, and also refers to the people who play a part in making that happen.

Ngā Tai Ora – Public Health Northland is tasked with delivering a range of strategic and operational services that promote and protect the health of our people and environment, and prevent disease across our region.  The units’ actions focus on reducing inequities, influencing health determinants and keeping people healthy where they live, learn, work and play.

The unit has four teams:

• Te Tai-Ao – Healthy Environments Team
• Te Tai Whānui – Medical Officers of Health Team
• Te Tai Mahere – Public Health Intel Team
• Te Tai Hapori – Community Wellbeing Team

Areas of work for the unit include environmental health, communicable disease control, public health surveillance, planning, policy and workforce development, and community development. Many of these services include a regulatory component performed by statutory officers appointed under various statutes, though principally under the Health Act 1956.

Contact

For more information contact Ngā Tai Ora Public Health Northland on 09-4304100

About the Ngā Tai Ora logo:

The logo depicts the relationship between land and water, with both needed to support life symbolised by the central koru.  The three groupings of niho taniwha on the left side of the logo represent the work of public health - promoting and protecting the health of people and the environment, and preventing disease.  The graduated blue and green colours show the connection and flow between ‘wai’ (water) and ‘whenua’ (land) and in this case, ‘tai’ (tide, coast, sea) and ‘uta’ (inland, shore).  The graduated colours also symbolise the ways in which water moves in and around Tai Tokerau, and also the various peoples.  In the right side of the logo can be seen a negative space that represents a puna (well, spring) and the flow of knowledge needed to sustain growth and wellbeing.  Also seen in the right side of the logo is the stylized prow of a waka, and the overall direction of the logo is progressive and forward moving into the future.

The logo was designed by Whangarei graphic design company Niwha Creative.