About Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR)
The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) is replacing the aging National Immunisation Register (NIR).
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About AIR
The AIR is used to help control the spread of infectious diseases by:
- providing information about immunisation coverage across the population
- keeping a record of the vaccinations New Zealanders have received or chosen not to receive.
Why we need AIR
Over their lifetime, New Zealanders can receive vaccinations from a range of health providers. At the moment, health providers can’t always get a full picture of a person’s vaccination history to help them and the consumer make the best health decisions.
The AIR will provide an accurate understanding of population immunisation coverage rates. This means programmes can be planned better to support populations with the lowest immunisation rates.
The AIR will reduce digital barriers and support the health sector to deliver better immunisation services.
The AIR will also give New Zealanders a way to record and track immunisations they have received and are entitled to.
Benefits of AIR
Because immunisation healthcare providers will be able to access immunisation health records, they can make better decisions about whether a person should or should not receive a vaccination.
We can quickly and efficiently update the health sector about changes to the National Immunisation Schedule.
The AIR is being co-designed with health providers with a strong emphasis on Māori and Pacific providers and is incorporating learning from their collective experience. The project will be business and health sector led and technology enabled.
The health sector will have opportunities to use more accurate aggregate-level vaccination data to understand vaccine uptake and make decisions to address inequities in vaccination rates.
Designed with the health sector
The AIR is being designed to improve equity across providers by reducing digital barriers to vaccination. It will support the entire health sector to deliver better immunisation services.
By providing a better understanding of population vaccination rates, the AIR will allow those planning health services to deliver them in a more equitable way. This will help ensure that groups most at risk have the best access to appropriate vaccinations.
The AIR is being co-designed with health providers and the vaccinating workforce. Drawing on collective experience and altering the AIR in response to insights means we can make sure the system works for all users. There has been a strong emphasis on engaging with Māori and Pacific health providers who provide vaccinations, and we worked with a small group of Māori providers to pilot the AIR vaccinator portal.
How AIR will be delivered
The AIR is being delivered in phases. During phase one, we focused on improving the capacity of the system to understand population coverage (with an emphasis on influenza). This phase is complete.
We are now completing phase two, building all the key components that are required to support the future state of the AIR, while co-existing with the NIR and Covid Immunisation Register (CIR). We can complete phase three when we are able to disestablish these legacy systems.
During phase four we will look for opportunities for AIR to add additional value to support immunisation services.
How and where have we engaged
The AIR programme has been engaging with immunisation providers, the vaccinating workforce, Te Whatu Ora teams, industry bodies and software vendors who work in the health sector.
We regularly attend a variety of sector hui to share updates. We are running a series of workshops that will allow us to collect insights, and test design concepts with end users.
Contacting your local AIR Administrator
Please find the contact details of your local AIR administrator listed below. This team can assist you to get a person’s full vaccination history.
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Te Tai Tokerau Northland |
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Te Toka Tumai Auckland |
0800 929 999 |
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Waitematā |
0800 929 999 |
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Counties Manukau |
0800 454 375 or 09 259 6994 |
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Waikato |
nir_coordinators@waikatodhb.health.nz 0800 100 273 option 1 |
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Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty |
0800 829 002 |
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Te Matau a Māui Hawke’s Bay |
0800 729 100 |
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Te Pae Hauora o Ruahine o Tararua MidCentral |
06 350 4566 or 06 350 4568 |
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Tairāwhiti |
06 869 2092 ext. 8732 or 0800 935 524
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Lakes |
027 223 2406 |
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Taranaki |
TDHB.RegionalScreeningTeam@tdhb.org.nz 06 753 7702 |
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Whanganui |
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Wairarapa |
06 261 8316 |
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Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley |
04 886 5020 or 04 260 6611 |
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04 570 9797 |
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Nelson-Marlborough |
programme.support@nmdhb.govt.nz 03 543 7912 |
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Waitaha Canterbury/South Canterbury |
03 337 8928 or 03 337 8966 |
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Southern |
nir@southerndhb.govt.nz |
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Te Tai o Poutini West Coast |
03 769 7531 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What vaccines can I record in the AIR & for what ages?
The vaccinations available to record in the AIR vaccinator portal for those 13 years and older (unless specified) are:
- Chickenpox (VV) (Varivax, Varilrix)
- DTaP-IPV (Infanrix IPV)
- DTap-IPV-HepB/Hib (Infanrix-hexa)
- HepA (Havrix) – 16+ years only
- HepA (Havrix Junior)
- HepB (Engerix-B 20 mcg, Engerix-B 10mcg)
- HepB (HBIG) (HyperHEP B 110 IU/0.5ml)
- HPV9 (Gardasil 9)
- Hib-PRP-T (Hiberix)
- MenACWY (MenQuadfi, Nimenrix, Menactra) note Menactra is no longer in use, remains available for updating records only.
- MenB (Bexsero)
- MenC (NeisVac-C)
- MMR (Priorix, M-M-R-II)
- Pneumococcal (PCV13) (Prevenar 13)
- Pneumococcal (23PPV) (Pneumovax 23)
- Polio (IPV) (IPOL)
- Rotavirus (RV1) (Rotarix)
- Shingles (rZV) (Shingrix) – 18+ years only
- Tdap (Boostrix, Adacel)
This age limitation is a temporary measure while the AIR is in a transition phase. The AIR will be able to accommodate childhood vaccines later in 2023 when the entire health sector transitions from the NIR to AIR.
The vaccinations available to record in the AIR vaccinator portal for all ages are:
- Cholera (Dukoral)
- HepB-HepA (Twinrix, Twinrix Junior)
- Influenza (2023 influenza season vaccines)
- Japanese encephalitis (JEV) (Jespect)
- Rabies (Rabipur, Merieux)
- Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) (TicoVac)
- Tuberculosis (BCG Vaccine AJV)
- Typhoid (Typhim Vi, Vivotif)
- Yellow fever (YFV) (Stamaril)
What should I do if the vaccine I’m delivering is not currently available in the AIR?
If the vaccine you are offering is currently not available as an option in the AIR vaccinator portal, you are able to use the NIR3 form found here and send a copy to the district immunisation administrators for it to be uploaded into NIR. Your local AIR admin contact details can be found on the AIR website here.
How do I record vaccinations for health consumers that are younger than the AIR vaccinator portal age limitations?
At this time the AIR vaccinator portal cannot accommodate the recording of childhood vaccines. The age limitation is a temporary measure while the AIR is in a transition phase.
The AIR will be able to accommodate childhood vaccines later in 2023 when the entire health sector transitions from the NIR to AIR.
If you need to record a vaccination for consumers that are younger than the AIR specified ages, you should use the NIR3 form and send a copy to your National Immunisation Register (NIR) administrator to enter into the NIR. Contact details can be found here under FAQs (How can I contact my local AIR administrator?)
Is there a delay between entering a vaccination on the AIR and it showing in an individual’s vaccine history in the AIR?
Currently immunisations recorded in the AIR are visible in an individual’s AIR vaccination history straight away. Immunisations entered in the National Immunisation Register (NIR), or COVID-19 Immunisation Register (CIR) appear in the consumer’s vaccination history on AIR approximately 24 hours after they are recorded.
Once the NIR and CIR data is migrated to the AIR and those systems are retired there will be no delay between when a vaccination is recorded in the AIR and when the event is visible on the consumer’s vaccination history in the AIR.
What ability do users have to edit or amend records?
You can edit vaccinations recorded on the AIR at any time after the event. Within the vaccinator portal you can edit product type, batch details, batch expiry dates, and vaccination details including route, dose number, date and time administered.
Facility, vaccine type and consent cannot be edited. You cannot make changes to NHI, these are managed through HealthUI, which enables healthcare providers to connect to the National Health Index (NHI) database.
Is the ability to work in the AIR ‘offline’ available now?
This ability is not yet available in the AIR, it may be added in the future. The AIR team are currently looking at options for how this might be achieved.
Who can I contact for support or to ask a question about using the AIR?
For support when using the AIR, please use the link here to access the AIR service desk portal or call the team on 0800 855 066 (press 2 and then 1). These channels are currently monitored:
- 8am - 5pm, Monday to Friday (from 9.30am on Wednesdays)
- 9am - 2pm, Saturday
If you have questions and would like coaching, please email help@imms.min.health.nz and ask the support team to send you a link to the drop-in sessions. These are available between 1pm and 1:45pm each weekday.
Please note that this service desk is for providers only and should not be used for consumer enquiries.
Get in touch
We value your thoughts and feedback about AIR.
To contact the AIR Programme, email air.engagement@health.govt.nz