Hawke's Bay DHB spent more than $900k on vaccination incentives

The Fairy God nurse Valerie Harris blesses Lovey Gillies of Napier at a vaccination clinic on Super Saturday. Photo / Ian Cooper

Hawke's Bay was one of the biggest spending district health boards in the country on gifts to encourage residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Swathes of freebies - including overseas holidays, e-bikes and mobile phones - were given out at various nationwide events from March 2021 to June this year in a bid to boost immunity and curb the spread of the virus.

Figures obtained by the Northern Advocate under the Official Information Act show at least $4.6 million was spent nationwide on free items to encourage eligible residents to get vaccinated - including $908,000 in Hawke's Bay alone.

Not surprisingly due to its greater population, three Auckland DHBs topped the list of big spenders, with Waitematā, Auckland and Counties Manukau clocking up $1.5m on vaccination initiatives.

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Northland DHB came in second, having spent $913,900, despite still having the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

Hawke's Bay District Health Board was third.

Covid-19 spokeswoman for Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Māui Hawke's Bay - formerly Hawke's Bay DHB - Allison Stevenson said the incentives were aimed at better protecting communities from Covid-19 by reaching pockets of the population yet to get their first or second dose.

It continued its incentive programmes even after the nationwide Super Saturday campaign in order to target harder to reach populations, she said.

"Vaccination incentives covered special clinics, music, food and gift cards for receiving vaccination and spot prizes. The incentive programme ran smoothly with uptake figures higher on incentive days."

Hawke's Bay achieved its 90 per cent double dosed national target on December 31, 2021.

"The vaccine rollout was not possible without a large dedicated workforce both in the clinical and non-clinical space working hard behind the scene and within vaccine clinics," Stevenson said.

"The DHB together with community health providers, iwi, councils and leaders all worked tirelessly to reach people, no matter where they lived to help our region to get across the 90 percent double dose finish line at that time."

The spending of other district health boards varied wildly, with some shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars, some spending tens of thousands of dollars, right down to frugal DHBs down south which spent a mere $5000 or even zero dollars.

National Party health spokesman Shane Reti has questioned the overall effectiveness of the funds spent in Northland, which did not meet the 90 per cent double dose target.

Southern District Health Board was the most frugal of them all.

Interim district director Hamish Brown said the policy of the Health New Zealand Southern Covid-19 Vaccination Programme "has been to not offer the public incentives to be vaccinated".

"The programme's resources have been focused on the setting up of community clinics and outreach activity to eliminate access barriers to the vaccination.

"On occasion, the community clinics offered manaaki, after the vaccination, and this was often sponsored by the community."