For some children (born before 1 July 2022), a mobile team will be in touch once your child has been allocated to a provider. Appointments are arranged based on age and need.
What happens at the B4 School Check?
You and your child will attend an appointment at a Public Health-run site, lasting around 45 minutes. The nurse will explain what the check involves and ask for your consent before starting.
This is a good opportunity to talk about your child’s development and raise any questions or concerns you may have.
Before your appointment
Before attending, you may find it helpful to look through the B4 School Check pages in your child’s “My Health Book”. This can help you prepare any questions or topics you would like to discuss.
The Health Information Privacy Code has been updated with effect from 1 May 2026. The update has introduced a new Information Privacy Principal – IPP3A. This principal requires agencies to take reasonable steps to notify individuals when personal information is collected indirectly (from a third party) unless an exemption applies.
Pertussis / Whooping cough Pertussis continues to circulate in NZ and there have been several recent cases in our local area.You can read about this illness here:-https://healthify.nz/health-a-z/w/whooping-cough If you have been advised by your whānau's preschool / school that your child might have been exposed to Pertussis, please follow the advice from Public Health contained in the letter you received from your kura.If you have been advised to see your GP team, or someone in your whānau is unwell and you think it might be Pertussis, please call and speak with a nurse. If you need to be seen for an appointment, we will ask you to wear a mask and wait in a safe place to protect others. The GP will assess you/your child and, following Public Health guidelines, determine whether a swab or treatment is appropriate.
Getting the flu vaccine is a great time to also check for and receive any recommended COVID-19 vaccines. Like influenza, COVID-19 is highly contagious and can lead to severe respiratory illness and complications in older people and those with underlying medical conditions. It remains a leading cause of infection related hospitalisations and deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly for older adults. Once or twice-yearly additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged if older or at higher risk of getting sick from COVID-19. These are important because vaccine protection decreases over time, and the vaccine is updated regularly to match changes in the circulating COVID-19 virus. In 2026, the vaccine has been updated to target the LP.8.1 variant.
