RACMA would like to congratulate Aotearoa New Zealand Honorary Fellow Dr Ashley Bloomfield who was granted knighthood in the New Year’s Day Aotearoa New Zealand Honours.
The former Director-General of Health (2018-2022), was recognised for his work leading the health sector and managing the government’s public health response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under intense scrutiny and daily public reporting, Sir Bloomfield has worked at a relentless pace for two years to drive and implement major policy decisions that have underpinned New Zealand’s response to the pandemic. Early on, he began providing regular press conference updates to inform the public about the virus, becoming the public face, alongside the Prime Minister, of the Government’s response to COVID-19. His clear and calm communication has been key to ensuring trust in the Government’s public health advice, with the public positioning him as New Zealand’s most well-known and highly respected public servant during the pandemic.
He led the Ministry of Health (MoH) in establishing a national contact tracing centre, increasing resourcing for Healthline as a single resource of information for the public and sourcing personal protective equipment. Sir Bloomfield led the MoH in standing up the first managed isolation and quarantine facilities, sourcing and operationalising testing services, and rolling out the country’s most ambitious vaccination programme, through which more than 90 percent of eligible New Zealanders were fully vaccinated.
Author: Felicity Gallagher
3rd January 2023
