Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health) Peeni Henare and Tauranga Labour List MP Jan Tinetti. Photo / George Novak
Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health) Peeni Henare and Tauranga Labour List MP Jan Tinetti. Photo / George Novak
"Covid is on your doorstep. It's coming, and it's real. Soon, it will be in every room of your whare."
That was the message from Associate Minister of Health (Māori) Peeni Henare, who yesterday made an urgent plea to Tauranga iwi to lead the fight to raise Māori vaccination rates.
Henare attended a hui at the Hungaungatoroa Marae in Matapihi, where community speakers voiced concerns about the Covid-19 response in Māori communities.
The hui was part of the minister's months-long trip visiting iwi groups, seeking to understand the barriers they face in battling Covid.
Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health) Peeni Henare greeting the public. Photo / George Novak
According to Ministry of Health data, as of Sunday, only 53 per cent of Māori in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board area were fully vaccinated.
This is significantly lower than both the overall Bay of Plenty rate of 75 per cent and the national rate of 81 per cent.
Barriers to lifting vaccination rates included systemic challenges that had been there for a long time, Henare said.
"Some of the common issues have been resourcing, tired workforces, mobility for vaccinators and convincing our whānau to come forward for the vaccine."
"Unvaccinated Māori are generally some of our whānau who have had bad experiences with the health sector, education, police and justice, and that breeds mistrust in institutions," the minister said.
"But Covid's a very different beast. Matters of life and death make us focus on how we can protect our people, but the conversations around those more systemic challenges will still need to happen. We're not going to solve 180 years of underfunding in a matter of weeks."
The solution lay at a local level and the community needed to lead initiatives to raise the vaccination rates.
Peeni Henare speaks to Matapihi community members. Photo / George Novak
"When nannies and uncles talk to their people, it has mana. So, we need to support them to give the right messages to their families."
Henare said the number of people with anti-vaccination views among Māori was small "but their voices are loud, and that captures our people who are sitting on the fence".
Ngāti Ranginui chairwoman Donna Gardiner said the vaccination response needed to happen at a local level.
"The DHB don't have the connection with the locals that we do," she said.
"We're really worried - we know that the unvaccinated are more likely to catch Covid. We have to be able to support our whānau when Covid hits them.
"Our goal is to support our whānau to make good decisions. And Māori not from our iwi need our support as well."
They had advised the Government to prioritise Māori vaccination from the beginning.
"We have an increased rate of comorbidities, and the health system already wasn't working for us."
Gardiner was also concerned about challenges that could arise around the need to self-isolate.
Families sometimes had three generations living in one house, she said.
"If they get sick, they can't go out to get food, and they have nowhere to isolate. If we can get resources to figure out these logistics, then we can support our whanau."
Peeni Henare. Photo / George Novak
Another speaker, an education professional, said the Māori community needed better access to accurate data about the vaccine and Covid-19.
"The ordinary person on the street doesn't know who to contact to find it."
She also wondered whether the marae should take a hard-line pro-vaccination stance, as others around the country have, to increase rates.
However, another attendee stated this could have the opposite effect.
"We need to look after each other - we need to think about this as Māori."
A third speaker, who worked for the Ministry of Justice, said that "access to data will be really helpful" in protecting the community.
Henare agreed. "The messaging comes from you: You are the champions in your community."
In light of Covid cases in Rotorua, the minister and the community were focusing on how to assist those who are required to isolate because of exposure or infection.
"Taking someone out of a community and moving them to a hotel in Auckland actually isn't that helpful," the minister said. "We need to look towards supporting local health providers, as well as the DHB, to care for those people."
The importance of local intervention was echoed by Marama Tauranga, the manukura (executive director Toi Ora) for the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
"You all know your communities - it's our job to listen."
Henare pleaded with the unvaccinated to think of their families.
"The fastest-growing number of people being affected by Covid-19 are our tamariki and our mokopuna. The best tool that we have to protect them is vaccination. Do it for your whānau."
Associate Minister of Health (Maori Health) Peeni Henare. Photo / George Novak
It was revealed yesterday up to 6000 Māori could get Covid-19 in the next month.
Māori Covid-19 analyst Dr Rawiri Taonui said modelling of community cases among Māori revealed a worrying figure.
"On the current seven-day trend with no increase, we're looking at 6000 Māori cases by Christmas.
"In the race between increasing Māori cases and vaccination, Delta is winning hands down."
Taonui said the Government needed to give more time for Māori vaccination rates to increase still - as well as Pacific peoples and those in poorer communities.
Epidemiologist Professor Michael Plank said data showed Māori were more likely to end up in hospital if they caught Covid-19, particularly as vaccination rates were still low.
