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Useful experience for environmental/public health officers includes:

• work in the health, food or hospitality industries
• customer service experience
• experience in laboratory or science work.

Environmental/public health officers may do some or all of the following:

• monitor and advise on food safety in food outlets, farms, shops, factories and schools
• assess health risks and suggest actions to take
• investigate infectious diseases, such as salmonella, and advise people on how to prevent their spread
• advise on health requirements for building consents
• investigate and advise on management of polluted land 
• take samples from sites to test for environmental pollution
• serve legal notices and provide evidence in court
• work with the media to make people aware of public health issues
• help develop health policies
• advise and train on environmental health processes such as how to correctly take a fridge temperature
• report on resource consent applications, liquor licences and Land Information Memorandum (LIM) applications.

Limited vacancies for environmental/public health officers

Opportunities for environmental/public health officers are average because:

• people tend to stay in the role for a long time, limiting vacancies
• the occupation is relatively small, and the number of people in the job has stayed steady.

Chances of finding work are best in the main city centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

According to the Census, 657 environmental/public health officers worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Types of employers varied

Sixty percent of environmental/public health officers work for local and regional councils.

They may also work for:

• district health boards in public health units (as health protection officers)
• private companies 
• the New Zealand Defence Force
• government organisations such as the Ministry for Primary Industries
• airports.

Ministry of Health

(04) 496 2000 - info@health.govt.nz - www.health.govt.nz

Environmental/public health officers may progress into management or policy analyst roles.

• Policy analyst job information

Environmental/public health officers may specialise in:

• food safety
• alcohol licensing
• water and soil safety
• infectious diseases.

Environmental/public health officers can specialise in the roles of:

Environmental Health Officer

Environmental health officers work for city and regional councils, the Defence Force, the Government and private agencies. They usually focus on health issues involving food and alcohol safety, hoarding, noise, land and air pollution, and health requirements for building consents.

Health Protection Officer

Health protection officers usually work for district health boards in public health units. They usually focus on disease control and disease prevention.

Environmental/public health officers need to be:

• precise, with an eye for detail
• analytical and able to make quick judgements
• able to build relationships quickly
• able to remain calm under pressure
• able to explain information clearly
• diplomatic and friendly
• persuasive and firm
• able to relate well to people from a range of cultures and backgrounds.