Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke's Bay's flu vaccination rates drop but reflect Covid-vaccine rollout says DHB

By Sahiban Hyde
Hawkes Bay Today·
19 Sep, 2021 06:01 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Nick Jones, HBDHB's clinical director of population health says there is a steady uptake in flu vaccination. Photo / Warren Buckland

Nick Jones, HBDHB's clinical director of population health says there is a steady uptake in flu vaccination. Photo / Warren Buckland

National Party health spokesperson Shane Reti has singled out Hawke's Bay DHB as one of three healthboards to experience an "astounding drop" in flu vaccinations for over-65s.

But the DHB says the rates are a reflection of the Covid-19 vaccination rollouts taking precedence.

Reti said when he questioned Health Minister Andrew Little about flu vaccination for over-65s this year he said the flu vaccination coverage was 63 per cent nationally.

"That's even worse than last year, and well below the target vaccination rate of 75 per cent," Reti said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Even more worrying is the flu vaccination rate among Māori – it's down by 10 per cent compared to last year.

"Some district health boards have experienced an astounding drop in flu vaccination rates. Hawke's Bay is down by 25 per cent, Whanganui by 21 per cent and Lakes down by 19 per cent. These are DHBs with large Māori populations."

In Hawke's Bay the percentage of the population aged 65 and over recorded as being vaccinated for influenza in 2020 and 2021, as at August 28, 2020, and August 27, 2021, respectively is- Māori 2020- 75.8, Māori 2021- 50.7, non-Māori 2020-72.6, non-Māori 2021-67.5, total 2020- 72.9, total 2021-65.6.

National's health spokesman Shane Reti says low flu vaccination rates urgently need to be addressed. Photo / Mark Mitchell
National's health spokesman Shane Reti says low flu vaccination rates urgently need to be addressed. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Reti said urgent work was required to address the "significant drop" in flu vaccine uptake among Māori, especially in Hawke's Bay.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"A combination of late deployment of the Covid vaccine and the need to have two weeks between that and the flu vaccine may account for the poor take-up," he said.

"However, there were several months between the start of the flu vaccination in April and the eligibility for those in Group 3 (over-65s, those at-risk due to other conditions) to get the Covid vaccination.

"It's yet another health target that the Government has failed on. With around 400 people dying each year from flu, this failure will certainly cost lives."

Hawke's Bay DHB's clinical director of population health Nick Jones said influenza data was collected by the Ministry of Health per DHB region by providers of the programme.

"The influenza vaccine is largely delivered in primary care, such as through GP clinics and pharmacies," Jones said.

"The district health board supports outreach clinics to reduce access barriers. Figures to date are a reflection of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout."

Flu vaccination is free for Hawke's Bay's eligible population. Photo / Warren Buckland
Flu vaccination is free for Hawke's Bay's eligible population. Photo / Warren Buckland

Jones said the Ministry of Health revised the timeframe for this year's rollout of the influenza immunisation programme, with priority for those aged 65 and over from April 14, followed by other groups from May.

"As acknowledged by the Ministry at the time, the Covid vaccination campaign has taken priority as well as maintaining childhood immunisation levels," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"However, there has also been a steady uptake even during this time in primary care (GP and pharmacy-based immunisation), with outreach clinics also supported by the DHB to reach Māori and Pasifika populations.

"There have been no confirmed cases of influenza to date in lab testing in Hawke's Bay."

Flu immunisation is currently free for the following eligible Hawke's Bay residents from their doctor, nurse or qualified vaccinating pharmacist: pregnant women (any time during pregnancy), people aged 65 or older, people aged under 65 with diabetes, most heart or lung conditions and some other illnesses.

As well as children aged four or under who have had a stay in hospital for measles, asthma or other breathing problems.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Taradale and Pirate set sail for Hawke's Bay club rugby final

05 Jul 11:55 PM
Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Couple behind lauded cocktail bar call it a day: 'I don’t think people are prioritising social lives'

05 Jul 06:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Flaxmere Woolworths site work begins, supermarket built by mid-2026

05 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Taradale and Pirate set sail for Hawke's Bay club rugby final

Taradale and Pirate set sail for Hawke's Bay club rugby final

05 Jul 11:55 PM

Dominant first halves were the difference, with Maddison Trophy final spots on the line.

Premium
Couple behind lauded cocktail bar call it a day: 'I don’t think people are prioritising social lives'

Couple behind lauded cocktail bar call it a day: 'I don’t think people are prioritising social lives'

05 Jul 06:00 PM
Flaxmere Woolworths site work begins, supermarket built by mid-2026

Flaxmere Woolworths site work begins, supermarket built by mid-2026

05 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
End of swimming pool weeds: Family's delight as cyclone-hit home gets green light

End of swimming pool weeds: Family's delight as cyclone-hit home gets green light

04 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP