This report provides an assessment of state and territory performance against the performance benchmarks outlined in the National Partnership on Essential Vaccines, for the assessment period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020.

This project investigates how the local experience of service may differ from nationally reported figures. It focused on the B4 School Check – a free health and development check available to four-year olds – using a geographic lens and describing the children and their families missing out on the B4SC at the local area level.

The seasonal influenza vaccine is an important protective measure for those at risk of serious outcomes, including young children. Flutracking data demonstrates that government-funded vaccines can lead to an almost five-fold increase in self-reported vaccine uptake of the targeted age group, as well as previously unreported flow-on effects to older children.

The variation and dynamic nature of the vaccination trajectories described in this study suggests that vaccine refusal is not a static trait but rather the result of ever-changing experience and continual risk assessment; not all non-vaccinating parents fit the ‘alternative lifestyle’ stereotype

The benefits of early childhood education continue to be debated in Aotearoa New Zealand. Although attendance is not compulsory, almost all New Zealand children attend an early learning education (ECE) service for a period of time before starting school or kura. Using data from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study, in this report...