In contrast others thought it would be better if information was given much closer to the actual event. This is consistent with previous research that found participants preferred "just in time" delivery of information to avoid having to think about pandemic influenza unless they had to or unless a pandemic was imminent [8] . "Just-in-time" messaging that included technical terms, risks, health benefits and protective actions has been shown to help align public perception with realistic assessments of pandemic threat [24] . Both of these perspectives reflect problems with people's risk beliefs. Those who desire advance warnings may be unaware that a pandemic could be in New Zealand very quickly and possibly before its existence is formally identified. They may not have the time they expect to prepare. Those who adopt a "just in time" approach may overestimate their capacity to prepare in a short time frame (e. g., food supplies in supermarkets being rapidly depleted and not restocked).