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To determine vaccination coverage, by ethnicity, for the routine publicly funded vaccinations for 11 year olds, from school-based vaccination data in South Auckland, New Zealand.De-identified aggregate data were obtained with permission from the Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB) Public Health Nurses Database on the 11-year-old tetanus and polio vaccinations from 2005, and analysed to determine percentages of form return, consent and vaccination receipt by ethnicity, including relative risks for Maori compared to non-Maori students. Reasons for vaccination refusal were also analysed.Overall, 48% of Maori and 56% of non-Maori in Year 7 in CMDHB in 2005 (n=8642) were immunised through the school-based programme. Assuming that parents who stated their child had already received these vaccinations were all correct, the estimated overall coverage in this population for the recommended Year 7 tetanus vaccination was 67% (53% for Maori, and 71% for non-Maori).Vaccination coverage amongst 11 year olds in this population was lower than coverage for other childhood vaccinations in New Zealand, and there was a large Maori:non-Maori disparity.

New Zealand developed a strain-specific group B meningococcal vaccine to control an epidemic. Following a mass vaccination campaign of three doses to the population under 20 years of age, commencing in July 2004, the vaccine continued to be offered routinely as a four-dose schedule from 6 weeks of age. There is little international data on when to cease epidemic vaccination campaigns. The decision to stop using this vaccine needed to take into account a range of factors. These included epidemiology, vaccine effectiveness and duration of immunity, vaccine coverage, concomitant use with other vaccinations being added to the infant schedule, vaccine supply and cost–benefit criteria. This paper discusses these issues, along with the potential challenges for communication to both health professionals and the public.