The Ministry of Health has published Ten Years of Immunisation in New Zealand 2015 to 2024, the first report of its kind for New Zealand’s immunisation system.
The report provides a new clear baseline to track progress on immunisation across a range of measures that were not previously available, including vaccination coverage and timeliness in New Zealand.
The report brings together information to support long-term planning, policy development, and service design. It will help improve visibility of where vaccination coverage and timeliness can be strengthened, and support decisions about how resources, services and initiatives can be directed to areas of greatest need.
The report finds that, during the period covered, previously high levels of childhood vaccination rates fell sharply, and this drop disproportionately impacted Māori and Pacific children.
It recommends focusing on restoring immunisation reach, improving the timeliness of immunisation, and ensuring services and initiatives are targeted where they can best protect people’s health.
Although the report covers data up to the end of 2024, its value lies in identifying sustained patterns across the system rather than short-term fluctuations. Encouragingly, more recent data show progress since 2024. For instance, since the end of the period covered in the report, the percentage of children who are up to date with their 24-month immunisation milestone has risen from 76.4% to 83.1%. Tracking this progress will be reflected in future immunisation reports, which will be produced annually.
The Ministry developed the report to support the Immunisation Oversight Board and its role in coordination and leadership across the immunisation system.
For the most up-to-date data on vaccination coverage, visit Health NZ’s immunisation data and statistics page.
