Collaboration helps top of the south whānau get vaccine

Monday, 6 September 2021

Tasman Mako rugby team members and staff were vaccinated at their club rooms in Nelson on Thursday.

The eight iwi of Te Tauihu (top of the south) have pulled their “resources and whānau networks” together to ensure as many Māori as possible will receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The successful campaign helped see 932 Māori vaccinated in Te Tauihu last week. Of the 932, 84 per cent were first doses.

Te Kotahi o Te Tauihu Charitable Trust pouwhakahaere (chairwoman) Dr Lorraine Eade said the uptake was positive.

Dr Eade said it showed many whānau were making the decision to protect themselves and their wider hapū and community.

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“The way in which we are working together reflects Treaty-based principles of engagement from conception, development to delivery and brings to the surface how our incredible Māori health workforce, addresses inequity,” Dr Eade said.

The collaboration involved Māori hauora providers Te Piki Oranga and Te Hauora o Ngāti Rarua, Omaka, Whakatū and Te Āwhina maraes, Nelson Marlborough Health, Public Health Organisations and iwi who have come together in an act of kotahitanga (oneness).

Iwi had helped deliver the campaign with live panel discussions, videos and photos on billboards and banners, and running education workshops across the region.

Numbers through Blenheim’s Stadium 2000 vaccination centre were steady last week.

“Working collaboratively, we are able to collectively target resources with appropriate solutions,” Dr Eade said.

“As an example, if we need to take the vaccinations to whānau in certain communities to address barriers to the vaccine we can pull our resources to ensure that happens”.

Outreach clinics such at places such as Waikawa Marae have helped to target Marlborough's Māori population in the vaccination roll out.

Marlborough PHO primary care general manager Sue Allen said they were extremely impressed with how many people were vaccinated last week.

The Blenheim Stadium 2000 vaccination centre had been steady, and around 75 per cent of Marlborough’s population had now had their first jab.

Some age groups, such as 55+, were sitting at around 85 per cent vaccinated.

“We were originally thinking we would get about 70 per cent of the population vaccinated, we thought it would perhaps just decline at this point, or people would wait and see, but we’ve exceeded that,” she said.

She said they were constantly thinking up ways to try and get young people vaccinated. They were happy with the number of Māori who had taken up the vaccine.

“I do think the outbreak in Auckland has certainly prompted a few people and made them take up the vaccine,” she said.

“I think Marlborough is certainly leading the way, and we’re extremely happy with the uptake from the community.”

With numbers slowing down, they expected to be back to only the Henry St vaccination centre, and out of the stadium by Wednesday.

“We're just tidying up what that will look like at the moment,” she said.

In Nelson Tasman, 9590 people were vaccinated from August 30 to September 5.

In Marlborough, 4369 people were vaccinated during the same period.

Nelson Marlborough Health strategy, primary and community general manager Cathy O’Malley said as at September 5, there had been 155,401 vaccinations administered across Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.

This meant more than 71 per cent of people aged 12 and over had had their first dose.

In the 65 and over age group, 91 per cent of people have had their first dose.

NMH was now aiming to achieve good immunity rates for younger people.

From September 1 to September 5, 1457 people aged 20 to 29 had their first vaccine in the top of the south.

Dr Eade encouraged whānau to book their vaccinations if they hadn’t already at bookmyvaccine.covid19.health.nz.

Māori can check out the Facebook page Te Kotahi oTe Tauihu for updates on the various ways they can get vaccinated and seek support through the lockdown.