'What are the fundamental ingredients of public health success? There is no shortage, one might think, of experience to draw on, given the great variety of public health systems around the world. However, I know of few scholarly accounts of what works well and what does not. The Health of the People is a book that helps to fill the gap. It is a concise and passionately argued account of the rise and fall of the New Zealand Public Health Commission (PHC) written by the man who was chair of the board of the commission, Professor Sir David Skegg.' – Alistair Woodward, American Journal of Public Health
'Professor Sir David Skegg provides the devastatingly clear view of the past that only an educated participant in its history can provide, and he doesn’t hold back in his criticism ... Skegg explains what public health does and why it is important, then goes on to look at various issues in an interesting and hard-hitting manner.' – Professor Frank Frizelle, New Zealand Medical Journal
'In his recent book The Health of the People, Prof Skegg, an epidemiologist and public health physician and former chairman of the now defunct Public Health Commission, outlined his concerns about the poor state of public health in New Zealand and the need to re-establish an independent public health authority to advise the government.' – Elspeth McLean, Otago Daily Times
'A stark reminder of the importance of population-based health programs contributing to the nation’s wellbeing. When we are sick, we expect to be treated immediately. What we often overlook is that health promotion measures targeted at vulnerable groups of the population can prevent the illnesses.' – Brian Easton, Pundit
'As a public health physician and epidemiologist, I have watched the functions of surveillance (monitoring leading to action) and policy development in the Ministry of Health get progressively weaker. The reasons for this failure lie in the lack of a critical mass of public health experts, and of political independence to develop policy recommendations, as convincingly spelled out by Professor David Skegg in his recent book The Health of the People.' – Charlotte Paul, Newsroom
'The Health of the People by Professor David Skegg outlines a failing public health system, and prompted heated debate when it was published earlier in the year.' – Radio New Zealand
'The Minister of Health won't dignify it with an answer. But it still needs to be asked. What impact is lobbying having on public health? Sir David Skegg lifts the lid on this hidden topic.' – Bruce Munro, Otago Daily Times
'How can it be that a public body appointed to set priorities for public health in New Zealand became described by a member of the same government that appointed it as “a bunch of cretins”? The answer, epidemiologist and public health physician Sir David Skegg suggests in his compelling book The Health of the People is that politicians focused on personal health services take a short-term view, and ignore the longer-term factors that impact on the health status of the community.' – Barbara Brookes, Corpus NZ
'[Skegg's] recently published book, The Health of the People, points out New Zealand’s vacuum of public health leadership, the appalling state of some aspects of public health, and the influence of lobby groups on elected officials.' – Newsroom
