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Increasingly recognized as an educational domain in its own right, Ma-ori health is a central focus of medical and health sciences curricula in Aotearoa/New Zealand. As part of the Bachelor of Health Sciences offered at the University of Canterbury, Ma-ori health content is taught in a compulsory introductory course "Ma-ori Health Issues & Opportunities" (HLTH 106), positioned at the interface of Ma-ori health and public health. The course follows a trajectory through Ma-ori history, the Treaty of Waitangi, colonization, and the emergence of inequities, ending with structural and Ma-ori-led approaches for redress. Much of the content challenges prevailing public discourses relating to Aotearoa/New Zealand's settlement and status as an egalitarian society, the basis of many students' preconceptions. A social determinants of health frame has supported the navigation of this "tricky" terrain, and the construction of evidence-based counternarratives. Iterative curriculum development demonstrated the value of taking account not only of learner needs but also the characteristics of public health that may hinder learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international emergence of undergraduate education in public health has transformed the public health education landscape. While this shift is clearest and most widely evaluated in the United States, efforts in other parts of the world—such as Australasia—have not kept pace. This article aims to redress the evidence gap by identifying and discussing the different approaches through which Australian and New Zealand universities deliver public health education at the undergraduate level. A content analysis was conducted of online handbook information published by 47 universities across Australia and New Zealand, to gauge the various ways in which these universities implement undergraduate public health education. Each offering identified was assigned to one of four predetermined categories. Of the 47 universities, 45 were found to offer some form of undergraduate coursework in public health. Offerings took primarily the form of single subjects. Less commonly implemented were specializations (n = 20), stand-alone undergraduate degrees (n = 11), and double degree combinations (n = 6). This breadth of activity highlights the need for renewed efforts in evaluating undergraduate public health education across the region. Further research is recommended into three areas: (1) emerging best practices in curriculum development and implementation, (2) explorations of public health accreditation in the region, and (3) the outcomes achieved by students and graduates of undergraduate public health degrees across Australia and New Zealand. These efforts will ultimately strengthen the operationalization and contribution of this education in helping shape the future public health workforce in Australasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]