The 90% Project: Māori health leaders confident Northland will hit vaccine target, iwi calls for lockdown

Administrators Kristi Barabarich and Jasmine Woods at Ngati Hine Health Trust welcome anyone who would like to get vaccinated. Photo / Tania Whyte

Māori health providers are confident Northland will reach the Government's 90 per cent vaccine target.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday announced a vaccination rate of 90 per cent for each district health board before the regions could move into the new traffic light system.

Northland is currently sitting at 78 per cent for first dose and 62 per cent for second dose putting the region to the bottom of the table next to Taranaki and Lakes, both at 62 per cent, and Tairāwhiti (61 per cent).

However, local Māori health providers believe community engagement and good communication will bring Tai Tokerau to the finish line.

Ngāti Hine Health Trust CEO Geoff Milner says to reach the 90 per cent target we needed to reach out to our Māori community and get them vaccinated.

"Two in five Māori are unvaccinated," Milner said.

To bring up these numbers, a more practical approach is needed. Milner suggests bringing businesses and schools on board to create easier access.

"We'd like to see businesses that employ a lot of Māori bring in trusted vaccine providers so staff can be vaccinated on site."

Most importantly, the hard-to-reach age group of 12-39 year-olds need to be targeted because they a creating a "significant barrier in reaching the 90 per cent".

"My encouragement for schools like Northland College, Tikipunga High and Kaitaia College is to open their gates and lift the vaccine rates. We have to get our tai tamariki vaccinated."

Ngāti Hine Health Trust and other Māori health providers will receive central government funding to boost their efforts, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henari announced on Friday.

Milner explained the funds would be allocated through Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry for Māori Development) and said the new resources would follow the work.

"Northland will get to 90 per cent. Our vulnerable communities might need more time, more access and more conversation but we will get there in the right time," Milner said.

Meanwhile, one dedicated Far North woman, Te Hau Ora Ō Ngāpuhi chief executive Te Rōpu Poa is dropping off handwritten letters reaching out to vaccine-hesitant people in her community to start a conversation around safety and protection from Covid-19.

She says anything is achievable – that also applies to the 90 per cent target.

Health Minister Andrew Little with Northland District Health Board chairman Harry Burkhardt and chief executive Nick Chamberlain. Photo / Peter de Graaf

"We have the data to tell us where our most vulnerable people are. We need to help them understand how critical the vaccine for our country is," Poa said.

"It's about taking responsibility about how we want to live our life."

She said if people didn't get vaccinated they would be managed by regulations – and that shouldn't be desirable.

"We are setting goals to have a normal life again."

A pathway to that was to understand the seriousness of the virus and realise your own vulnerability.

For Harry Burkhardt, Ngāti Kuri Trust chair, only the highest level of protection was acceptable for the region and vulnerable communities.

"Our encouragement is for whanau to operate as we are in level 3."

He believes to bring the vaccine rollout forward better collaboration was needed.

With Northland's case number sitting at seven and vaccine numbers comparatively low, one Northland iwi is calling on Government to alter levels.

Te Iwi o Ngātiwai wants the region to move into alert level 3.

Heamana (chairman) Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards expressed "his deep concern at the lack of action with the delta outbreak in Tai Tokerau".

"Why have the Government been quick to abandon the hard and fast rhetoric?

Ngati Hine Health Trust chief executive Geoff Milner wants to find a more pratical approach for the vaccine rollout. Photo / Michael Cunningham

"The Northland cluster is growing and in four days we have gone from two to now seven cases with27 close contacts. These cases are all rural Māori."

Kerepeti-Edwards said while all cases were linked and isolating at home they posed a level of risk and were a huge concern for people.

"It has been a long weekend with no real restrictions on travel across the region."

"Ngātiwai stands united with Ngā Iwi o Te Tai Tokerau calling for the Government to take a highly precautionary approach and move Te Tai Tokerau immediately to alert level 3."