Caroline McElnay | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McElnay in 2020 | |
| Director of Public Health | |
| In office 2016–2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bushmills, Northern Ireland |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Public health official |
Caroline Ann McElnayQSO (/ˈmæk.ɪlˌneɪ/) is a medical officer in New Zealand.[1] She was the director of public health for theNew Zealand Ministry of Health from 2016 to 2022.
McElnay, one of seven children, grew up on a farm inBushmills, Northern Ireland.[2] She studied medicine atQueen's University Belfast and then public health at theUniversity of Manchester.[3] During her studies in Manchester she completed a one-year exchange in New Zealand, including six months inNapier.[4]
She was appointed director of population health forHawke's Bay District Health Board. She advocated for health equity in the region and in 2014 she published a major report on the subject.[4] While at the board she was involved in the response toHavelock North's gastro outbreak, the first case of theSARS virus in New Zealand and alisteria outbreak.[5]
McElnay was appointed to the role of director of public health at the Ministry of Health in 2016.[5] She came to international attention during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Appearing in live-broadcast television press conferences, she was described as second-in-command to director-generalAshley Bloomfield and one of the most powerful women in the country.[6][7] She chaired the Pandemic Influenza Technical Advisory Group, which advised the Ministry on matters concerning the control of theCOVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.[5]
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.[8] She was later appointed immunisation clinical lead at Health New Zealand and a member of the Ministry of Health's public health advisory committee.[9] In May 2025 she was announced as chief health officer for theVictoria State Government and will take up that role in August.[10]
In the2023 New Year Honours, McElnay was appointed aCompanion of the Queen's Service Order, for services to public health.[11]
McElnay later moved with her husband to Napier in 1995.[2] She has three children.[3]