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Go well this winter

Find out how you and your whānau can stay healthy over winter and where to get the right healthcare if you need it.

Preparing for winter

Colder weather in winter means more people are likely to get sick. This increases the risk of illnesses being brought into your home, workplace or school. Prepare for winter by:

  • Getting immunised.
  • Keeping up to date with COVID-19 additional doses when eligible. Remember some pharmacists can immunise.
    COVID-19 additional doses (internal link)
  • Testing if you have COVID-19 symptoms, reporting the result and isolating.
  • Having a care plan ready for if you get sick including any support from whānau and friends.
  • Having the necessary medicines and cold and flu supplies at home.

Healthy behaviours

Prevent spreading or catching illnesses by:

Where to get healthcare

Hospitals are very busy over winter, so unless it is an emergency please use these other services.

If you do get sick this winter, there are different ways you can get care and advice.

Call Healthline for free advice

Healthline provides a free 24/7 days a week health service for advice, information and treatment from professional healthcare providers.

Call: 0800 611 116

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Find up to date information about healthcare providers in your area. Find the services you need, where you need them.

Find a healthcare provider — Healthpoint (external link)

Get advice on medicines and common issues like coughs and colds, bladder or eye infections, minor cuts and grazes, emergency birth control. They can suggest over-the-counter treatment, fill prescriptions, and some give immunisations.

Find a pharmacy — Healthpoint (external link)

If you are enrolled with a GP — a doctor, nurse, or other team member can look after most of your healthcare. They review your symptoms, treat illness or injuries, prescribe medicines, and order tests or procedures.

About GPs and how to enrol (internal link)

Go to a clinic that offers urgent care if you cannot wait for your doctor, or do not have one, for bad cuts, sprains or breaks, minor head injury, or feeling really sick. You do not need an appointment but might have to wait.

Find your nearest after hours clinic — Healthpoint (external link)

If you live or are staying in a rural area, you can contact Ka Ora Telecare afterhours to get medical advice or a consultation.

In any critical or life-threatening emergency call 111 for an ambulance.

Critical or life-threatening emergencies include:

  • heavy bleeding
  • broken bones
  • chest pains
  • issues breathing or staying conscious
  • mental health emergencies
  • severe allergic reactions, or
  • injuries after an accident.

About EDs and how to find one (internal link)

Illnesses of concern this winter

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The flu is a virus that spreads quickly between people. Flu causes symptoms like a fever, runny nose, cough or upset stomach. There can be different types or strains of flu that can make you sick each year. Vaccination against flu is our first line of defence this winter. 

COVID-19 is still in our communities and people are still getting sick. Being up to date with your COVID-19 immunisations and additional doses is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself.

Aotearoa New Zealand is at very high risk of a measles outbreak. 
Measles is a serious and highly contagious disease. It can cause serious problems, including brain swelling, chest infections, or death. The measles (MMR) vaccine is very effective at preventing measles.

Whooping cough is a serious infection that causes a long coughing illness. It spreads easily between people through coughing and sneezing and can be very serious for pēpi, tamariki and older adults.

Winter is always a time when there is an increase in respiratory (breathing) illnesses in tamariki.

You can call Healthline anytime on 0800 611 116 for free health advice and information.

If you have a sick pēpi or tamariki with breathing difficulties, get medical care from your healthcare provider urgently or call 111.

Asthma is a common condition that affects the airways in the lungs. People with asthma have swollen (inflamed) airways that react to triggers like allergens and cold and flu symptoms.

For severe asthma attacks or significant breathing issues, call 111.

Asthma (internal link)

Rheumatic fever is a serious but potentially preventable illness that often starts with a sore throat. Without treatment, sore throats can cause rheumatic fever, which can damage your heart — this is called rheumatic heart disease. 

Rheumatic fever (internal link)

Keep your whare warm and dry

Find out if your home is insulated and that you have the best heating option for your home. You may qualify for a subsidy. (external link)

Warmer kiwi homes programme — ECCA website (external link)

  • Remove mould from ceilings and walls with warm water and household soap and dry well.
  • Open your curtains during the day and close them at night.
  • Open your windows for at least a few minutes each day and then close them up again.
  • Dry your washing outside or in the garage or carport.
  • Let steam out in the kitchen and bathroom.
  • Wipe off any water that has collected on walls and on the inside of windows.
  • Stop cold air getting into your home by stopping draughts around doors, windows, and fireplaces.

Healthy Homes Initiative

We want to help tamariki and whānau to live in warm, dry, healthy homes.

The Healthy Homes Initiative is a free service to help eligible families with things like curtains and heating, beds and bedding, power bills, insulation, and ventilation.

Find out if you meet the criteria to get free support make your home warmer, drier, and safer.

Eligibility criteria - Healthy Homes Initiative (external link)

Mental wellbeing over winter

Developing or maintaining routines through winter to look after your mental wellbeing will help you now, and into the future.

There are some things you can do every day to support your mental wellbeing.

  • Stay connected with friends and whānau.
  • Stick to a schedule or routine as best you can.
  • Move your body daily.
  • Get outside and spend time in nature.
  • Limit your time online and the amount of news you follow.
  • Notice and appreciate small moments of joy.

The Mental Health Foundation website has practical tips, stories, and resources focused on things we can all do to maintain our mental wellbeing.

Mental Health Foundation (external link)

There are also free digital mental wellbeing apps and helplines to help you manage your mental wellbeing.

Where to get help for mental health (internal link)

Immunisations

Getting immunised protects you and others from serious illnesses like:

Make sure all the tamariki and older adults in your whānau are up to date with immunisations. This protects them from some serious preventable diseases, reduces the risk of hospitalisation and sometimes fatal illness.

For advice

  • Call the Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26
  • Contact your healthcare provider or pharmacy.

Book a vaccine

Book vaccines for yourself, a whānau member or a group.

Book a vaccine (internal link)