Māori childhood vaccination rates are significantly lower than European rates in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Māori childhood vaccination rates are significantly lower than European rates in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Māori childhood vaccination rates are significantly lower than European rates in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts.
Limited healthcare facilities and transport options are barriers for Māori children getting vaccinations.
Dr Natalie Netzler says 95% vaccination coverage is ideal to prevent a measles outbreak.
Limited healthcare facilities and lack of transport options are barriers for Māori tamariki getting their childhood vaccinations, a senior university lecturer says.
It comes as Health New Zealand data shows vaccination rates for Māori children in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes are lower than those of Europeans.
Measles hasbeen in the spotlight this month after Health NZ announced on May 11 it had identified a measles case in Auckland linked to overseas travel.
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination is part of Health NZ’s national immunisation schedule given to children before they turn 2.
Vaccines on the schedule are free for everyone under 18 in New Zealand, and include whooping cough and meningococcal B.
The latest Health NZ data on its website showed 50.2% of eligible Māori children aged 24 months had received their childhood immunisations, compared to 75.7% of European children in the Bay of Plenty for the three-month period ending December 31, 2024.
In the Lakes, 55.9% of eligible Māori children aged 24 months had received their childhood immunisations, compared to 76.1% of European children.
Nationally, 77% of New Zealand children had received their childhood vaccinations by age 24 months for the same period.
University of Auckland faculty of medical and health sciences senior lecturer Dr Natalie Netzler said many Māori children faced “significant” structural and access barriers to vaccination.
This included limited healthcare facilities in “underserved” areas, lack of transport options to get to a clinic, and long wait times for appointments, she said.
There were also issues accessing specific information about vaccines, particularly delivered in a culturally appropriate, trusted and supportive environment, Netzler said.
“Often the people I speak with in our communities are not ‘anti-vax’ ... they just have not had their specific query around vaccine safety answered, particularly if they or their child have an underlying health condition, and they are unsure of the safety of the vaccination.”
There was also a significant lack of trust in some cases, given previous inequity and historical injustice, she said.
Netzler said there were “champions” across New Zealand tackling these barriers, including the Far North’s Te Hiku Hauora Māori health service which took immunisations to communities who could not attend a clinic.
She said ideally, more than 95% of 24-month-old tamariki would be fully vaccinated to help prevent a measles outbreak.
“The current low vaccine coverage we see is putting lives at risk.”
She said measles was one of the most contagious but preventable viruses and could cause permanent hearing loss, brain inflammation and death.
Netzler said the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine was the best protection against measles and was 99% effective after two doses.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the Auckland measles case was a timely reminder that measles spreads quickly and can be dangerous, especially for young children. Photo / Mark Mitchell
On May 13, Health Minister Simeon Brown said more than 80% of New Zealand children were fully immunised by age 24 months – the highest rate since early 2022.
Brown said it was a “big step” towards achieving its goal of 95% coverage by 2030.
He said the Auckland measles case highlighted “the urgent need” to protect children and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“If your child has missed any vaccines, now is the time to catch up.”
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
