Health impact assessment in New Zealand

Health impact assessment (HIA) has its origins in environmental impact assessment methodology. New Zealand's approach to health impact assessment is consistent with other countries. During the 1990s, legislation that related to the management of natural and physical resources provided the basis for public health engagement in impact assessment. In the mid 1990s, the Public Health Commission released guidelines on health impact assessment that adopted a risk assessment approach and was aimed at particular environmental projects. The transition to policy-level impact assessment occurred in 2000 with the national health strategy identifying impact assessment as one its key objectives. Guidelines developed by the Public Health Advisory Committee in 2004 have been applied in a small number of policy-level health impact assessments in New Zealand. One of these projects was the review of a Liveable Communities Plan, a policy proposal for town centre growth and development.