Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Northland Māori vaccination rates four times lower than Europeans'

Covid-19 vaccination processing in Whangārei

Northland Māori Covid-19 vaccination rates are almost four times lower than those for Europeans.

Northland District Health Board (DHB) figures from Monday show 100,095 Covid-19 vaccinations had been done in Tai Tokerau.

One third (39,366 doses) were for people who received two doses, two thirds (60,729 doses) were for people who had been given only a single vaccination dose.

Māori made up 19 per cent of those who received the 60,729 single doses.

This compared with almost 75 per cent of recipients listed as European and "other". There were 11,672 vaccinations given to Māori, compared with 45,258 for those listed as European.

Vaccination rates for Pasifika among those who received the 60,729 single doses were even lower – at just 772 vaccinations - just over 1 per cent of those to date.

The DHB figures also showed those whose ethnicity was listed as Asian received 2727 vaccinations, about 4.5 per cent of those administered to single dose recipients.

The board's figures also showed roughly 300 people as being of unknown ethnicity – about half a per cent of vaccinations given to those who received only a single jab.

About 36 per cent of Northlanders identify as Māori, compared with 16.5 per cent nationally.

Health board chairman Harry Burkhardt (Ngāti Kahu) said his organisation was looking closely at what could be done to boost iwi/hapu vaccination figures.

Working more closely with Māori health providers was among options being looked into.

The north's first Northland DHB vaccination drive-through clinics were held on Monday in Dargaville and at Semenoff Stadium in Whangārei – to help boost vaccinations for Māori and those in the general population.

Jeanette Wedding, Northland DHB senior officer responsible for the Covid-19 vaccination programme, said the drive-through clinics were by appointment only.

"There are no walk-ins," Wedding said.

These will be followed with a Whangārei vaccination drive-through clinic at Kioreroa Rd today and Saturday.

The Kioreroa Rd clinic was expected to be in action next month too and open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Kerikeri's drive-through vaccination clinics will be open again today.

Wedding said information about the drive-through clinics would be updated on the health board's website https://www.northlanddhb.org.nz/home/covid-19/covid-19-northland-hub/.

She said Māori health providers, general practitioners and pharmacies were also providing vaccinations.

Burkhardt, also Te Kahu o Taonui (Northland Iwi chairs) chairman, said vaccination was a crucial part of iwi and hapu protecting themselves.

Northland District Health Board chair Harry Burkhardt (Ngāti Kahu) said vaccination was a crucial part of iwi and hapu protecting themselves.

He said the Covid-19 Delta variant posed a much higher risk than New Zealand had previously experienced.

"Stay home, save lives. Get vaccinated and get tested if there is any sense of risk," Burkhardt said.

He encouraged whanau to build on this kaupapa by getting vaccinated, particularly after Auckland's Covid-19 outbreak.

Vaccination across all age groups was needed.

He cited a vaccinated Far North kuia who had called to say "tell those young people to get vaccinated too".

Organisations wanted to support and empower whanau in their vaccination decision making.

Vaccination options for iwi and hapu were definitely being boosted after what was happening in Auckland, he said.

New Zealand's first community case of the Delta Covid-19 variant was confirmed last week in Auckland, the country going straight into a snap level 4 lockdown.

Burkhardt said Covid-19 elimination was still the Government's strategy.

He was among 100 New Zealand iwi leaders at an online Government Covid-19 update meeting on Friday with Labour Deputy Leader and Māori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis, Health Minister Andrew Little, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni, Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare, Justice Minister Kris Faafoi and Emergency Management Minister Kiritapu Allan.

Regular all-of-the-north meetings between iwi/hapu and relevant local agencies, set up during last year's Covid-19 lockdowns, have been reinstated after the Delta outbreak.