Jessica Rice Rose Drury and Zahra Drury got the Covid vaccine at Whitmore Park, Napier and bagged a $20 Pak'nSave voucher for their efforts. Photo / Paul Taylor
Jessica Rice Rose Drury and Zahra Drury got the Covid vaccine at Whitmore Park, Napier and bagged a $20 Pak'nSave voucher for their efforts. Photo / Paul Taylor
The Hawke's Bay DHB is offering vouchers to incentivise those getting their first or second jabs.
The vouchers, worth $20, are part of the DHB campaign Ū Tonu.
They were being offered at the drive-in/walk-in clinic at Kaupapa Māori Covid-19 vaccination clinic at Whitmore Park, Napier on Thursday, for anyonegetting their jab, whether it was the first or second shot.
This clinic was run by the DHB in partnership with other hauora providers.
A DHB spokeswoman said a limited number of grocery, Timezone and petrol vouchers ($20 each) were being offered on a "first come first served basis"as part of a trial to see whether such an approach works.
The DHB bought 600 vouchers at $20 a voucher for the trial.
"As at midday today, the DHB has been really happy with the response," she said.
"A total of 110 people have received their vaccine within the first hour and a half of the drive-through clinic opening.
"In line with Minister Hipkins' stand-up yesterday, all regions are being encouraged to do whatever they are able to encourage vaccination – particularly among rangatahi and our Māori population where we recognise a need to encourage participation and get numbers up," she said.
Registered nurse Gerry Morris administers a dose of vaccine to Kahu Gilbert, of Wairoa, at a drive-through clinic at the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union carpark in Napier. Photo/ Ian Cooper
The DHB's Ū Tonu campaign was launched on Wednesday, and featured people from throughout Hawke's Bay rolling up their sleeves in an effort to protect themselves, whānau, community, businesses and our health services.
Chief executive Keriana Brooking said the campaign was designed for Hawke's Bay.
"The campaign features people working in all sorts of industries and places, with the same message: Roll Up Your Sleeves, Get a Mate to Vaccinate, Ū Tonu," Brooking said.
The campaign was launched on the same day that 50 per cent of the region's population became fully vaccinated.
The DHB is not the only one offering incentives to people to get vaccinated.
The DHB is offering voucher incentives as a trial to encourage people to get their Covid vaccine. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hastings business owner Kevin Garner said he did not want the region to go into lockdown again because his new business would not cope, so he was offering incentives to people to get vaccinated, and he considered that as an "investment into the business".
Garner owns Captain Cash Limited in Hastings city centre and his business, which opened in April, has already suffered "massive losses" because of the lockdown and alert level restrictions post-lockdown.
"Just the other day, we only made $1. We lost thousands of dollars per week over the lockdown period.
"For now, Life Pharmacy has agreed to team up with us to offer the likes of $10 vouchers from, for example, McDonald's, for people who receive the vaccine and can show proof of it."
Napier mayor Kirsten Wise said the council was also doing its bit to encourage people to get the vaccine, especially after the announcement of a National Day of Action for vaccination on October 16.
"We are making plans for a drive-through clinic in the Onekawa industrial area for our staff, contractors and neighbouring businesses, but that's tentatively for October 26 to 27," Wise said.
"We have also pulled together a video of councillors encouraging people to get vaccinated."
Central Hawke's Bay mayor Alex Walker said the council was also fully behind the National Day of Action for vaccination, and was eager to assist in getting the message out there in whatever way they could.
"Ka pai! I encourage every eligible person in Central Hawke's Bay to go and get their vaccine, to protect themselves and their whānau against Covid-19."
Hastings District Council mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the council was working with health providers to explore ways to take vaccination clinics out to some of the biggest employers and industrial areas, such as Whakatū.
"There are many vulnerable and hard-to-reach people who need easy ways for them and their whānau to get vaccinated."
