Caroline McElnay

Caroline McElnay
QSO
McElnay in 2020
Director of Public Health
In office
2016–2022
Personal details
BornBushmills, Northern Ireland
Alma mater
OccupationPublic health official

Caroline Ann McElnay QSO (/ˈmæk.ɪlˌneɪ/) is a medical officer in New Zealand.[1] She was the director of public health for the New Zealand Ministry of Health from 2016 to 2022.

Biography

McElnay, one of seven children, grew up on a farm in Bushmills, Northern Ireland.[2] She studied medicine at Queen's University Belfast and then public health at the University of Manchester.[3] During her studies in Manchester she completed a one-year exchange in New Zealand, including six months in Napier.[4]

She was appointed director of population health for Hawke's Bay District Health Board. She advocated for health equity in the region and in 2014 she published a major report on the subject.[4] While at the board she was involved in the response to Havelock North's gastro outbreak, the first case of the SARS virus in New Zealand and a listeria outbreak.[5]

McElnay was appointed to the role of director of public health at the Ministry of Health in 2016.[5] She came to international attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appearing in live-broadcast television press conferences, she was described as second-in-command to director-general Ashley Bloomfield and one of the most powerful women in the country.[6][7] She chaired the Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group, which advised the Ministry on matters concerning the control of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.[5]

McElnay's resignation as director of public health was announced to Ministry of Health staff in February 2022. Her last day in the role was 7 April.[8] She was later appointed immunisation clinical lead at Health New Zealand and a member of the Ministry of Health's public health advisory committee.[9] In May 2025 she was announced as chief health officer for the Victoria State Government and will take up that role in August.[10]

Honours and awards

In the 2023 New Year Honours, McElnay was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order, for services to public health.[11]

Personal life

McElnay later moved with her husband to Napier in 1995.[2] She has three children.[3]

Publications

  • McElnay, C., & University of Manchester. (1991). The epidemiology of hip fractures in the elderly and the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation as a preventive strategy. Manchester: University of Manchester.[12]
  • McElnay, C., & Hawke's Bay District Health Board. (2014). Health inequity in Hawke's Bay.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 61, bringing total to 708". TVNZ. 1 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b Witton, Bridie (25 September 2021). "Caroline McElnay - piloting the pandemic response". Stuff. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Meet the Irish woman near the top of New Zealand's Covid-19 response". The Irish Times. 9 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b "McElnay: Building the fence at the top of the cliff". Stuff. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Morton, Jamie (6 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Meet the experts advising the NZ Government on Covid-19". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  6. ^ Witton, Bridie (25 September 2021). "Caroline McElnay - piloting the pandemic response". Stuff. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  7. ^ Milotte, Mike (9 April 2020). "Meet the Irish woman near the top of New Zealand's Covid-19 response". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  8. ^ Cheng, Derek (6 April 2022). "Public health exodus: Chiefs Caroline McElnay, Niki Stefanogiannis join Ashley Bloomfield in departing from Ministry of Health". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Public Health Advisory Committee members". Ministry of Health NZ. 13 March 2025. Archived from the original on 15 March 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Victorian government appoints Caroline McElnay as chief health officer". Radio New Zealand. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  11. ^ "New Year honours list 2023". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  12. ^ McElnay, Caroline; University of Manchester; Medical School (1991). The epidemiology of hip fractures in the elderly and the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation as a preventive strategy. Manchester: University of Manchester. OCLC 642940895. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  13. ^ McElnay, Caroline; Hawke's Bay District Health Board (2014). Health inequity in Hawke's Bay. ISBN 978-0-473-31294-7. OCLC 911035887. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
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