Caroline McElnay
New Zealand former Director of Public Health
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caroline Ann McElnay QSO (/ˈmæk.ɪlˌneɪ/) is a medical officer in New Zealand.[2] She was the director of public health for the New Zealand Ministry of Health from 2016 to 2022.
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Caroline McElnay | |
|---|---|
McElnay in 2020 | |
| Chief Health Officer of Victoria[1] | |
| Assumed office c. August 2025 | |
| Premier | Jacinta Allan |
| Preceded by | Brett Sutton |
| Director of Public Health | |
| In office 2016–2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bushmills, Northern Ireland |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Public health official |
Biography
McElnay, one of seven children, grew up on a farm in Bushmills, Northern Ireland.[3] She studied medicine at Queen's University Belfast and then public health at the University of Manchester.[4] During her studies in Manchester she completed a one-year exchange in New Zealand, including six months in Napier.[5]
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.[5] 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.[6]
McElnay was appointed to the role of director of public health at the Ministry of Health in 2016.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[6]
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.[9] She was later appointed immunisation clinical lead at Health New Zealand and a member of the Ministry of Health's public health advisory committee.[10] In May 2025 she was announced as chief health officer for the Victoria State Government and took up that role in August.[11] She was reappointed to the New Zealand public health advisory committee and appointed as its chair in November 2025.[12]
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.[13]
Personal life
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.[14]
- McElnay, C., & Hawke's Bay District Health Board. (2014). Health inequity in Hawke's Bay.[15]