Career as a Health Protection Officer (HPO)

What is a Health Protection Officer?

A Health Protection Officer (HPO) is a health professional who protects public health through ensuring public health risks are identified and managed; investigates public health concerns; enforces public health legislation; maintains effective monitoring and surveillance systems and provides evidence based public health advice and information. 

What work are Health Protection Officers at ARPHS involved in?

Health Protection Officers work within three areas of activity at ARPHS, these are communicable disease control, environmental health and food safety.

What does a Health Protection Officer within communicable disease control do?

Health Protection Officers are actively involved in preventing and controlling the spread of communicable disease through surveillance and investigation. Health Protection Officers investigate disease outbreaks, such as with food poisoning outbreaks or for example outbreaks of a notifiable disease such as Salmonella infections.

What does a Health Protection Officer within environmental health do?

Health Protection Officers have responsibilities in relation to biosecurity, recreational water, hazardous substances and other environmental exposures. Currently there are five areas of work within environmental health, these are built environment & resource management, biosecurity & quarantine, emergency management, hazardous substances and drinking water.

What does a Health Protection Officer within food safety do?

Health Protection Officers work as agents of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) to develop Food Safety programmes, regulate imported foods and investigate food complaints.

What qualifications are required to become a Health Protection Officer? 

There are a number of ways to become a Health Protection Officer including:

  • Completion of a Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Protection) from Auckland University of Technology
  • Completion of a Bachelor of Health Science (Environmental Health) from Massey University
  • Completion of a Graduate Diploma Environmental Heath from Massey University for those holding a Science degree

Other post graduate qualifications are available including public health. Equivalent overseas qualifications agreed by the Ministry of Health are also accepted. To become a designated Health Protection Officer the required designated qualifications need to be completed in addition to working for an appropriate organisation such as ARPHS.

Useful links.

For more information about working as a Health Protection Officer at ARPHS contact the Professional Advisor for Health Protection, Auckland Regional Public Health Service at (09) 623 4600.