Providers say Māori-only vaccination clinics are vital

Thursday, 9 September 2021

Graham Young says Ngāti Ruanui Health Services is now prioritising Māori in Taranaki after months of serving the whole community. (File photo)

Iwi health providers in Taranaki say vaccination clinics solely for Māori are essential to close the gap with non-Māori vaccination rates.

This week ACT Party leader David Seymour tweeted out a vaccine code reserved for Māori by health provider Te Whānau o Waipareira, encouraging his supporters to use the code themselves.

Ngāti Ruanui Health Services general manager Graham Young said such services needed to be ring-fenced for Māori.

Hundreds of people in Porirua have received their first Covid-19 vaccinations from the comfort of their cars at a drive-through clinic specifically aimed at the Māori and Pasifika community.

“Māori-only vax clinics are really important because our people are lagging behind vaccination rates in such a way we have to find ways of making sure we prioritise them.”

Other places are also targeting Māori for vaccinations as well, like this recent drive-through vaccination centre for Māori families at Feilding’s Manfeild Stadium where Albert Pritchard received his Covid-19 jab.

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Young said that after months of serving the whole community, Ngāti Ruanui now had a particular focus on Māori five days a week, with no-one coming for a vaccine turned away.

Warren Nicholls, general manager of Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services, says it will be offering marae-based pop-up clinics, targeting Ngāruahine descendants.

He said both the iwi and the health centre were calling whānau to encourage and arrange shots, and were devoting some days wholly to vaccination without bookings.

“This coming Friday at the Hāwera health clinic we have a full walk-in clinic. You can come in, you don’t need to have any booking and can get the jab – along with a $25 Pak’nSave voucher.”

Young said the focus was to remove barriers, as some people found the online booking system difficult.

“They know there won’t be too much paperwork and they can have their vaccine straight away.

“They can turn up and say, I’m gonna have it today, I’m gonna walk through, and it is done.”

He said people were encouraged to bring their whole whānau Covid bubble to clinics in Hāwera and Pātea.

Tui Ora chief executive Hayden Wano encourages whānau uncertain about the vaccine to pop in for a kōrero with trained staff.

Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services has until now delivered Covid testing but general manager Warren Nicholls said it was about to start pop-up vaccination clinics.

“They will be marae-based pop-up clinics. We have got a range of Ngāruahine marae that are going to be scheduled in the next five weeks and then repeating that in a couple of months’ time for the second round as well.”

He said the pop-ups would be Māori-led and Māori-focused, and would target Ngāruahine descendants.

“No apologies: this is targeted for Māori. This is about reaching out … creating the environment where those trusted relationships can reach out, support, have the conversations and encourage whānau to protect our whakapapa, protect our mokopuna, our kāumatua and whānau katoa.”

Nicholls said anyone undecided about the vaccine would also be welcome.

“Actually come, have some whanaungatanga, have the conversation, so that an informed choice can be made.

“It is not about the end result in terms of what their final decision is, it is about basing that on accurate, clear information and understanding that information.”

This week Tui Ora has run clinics in Ōpunakē and Waitara specifically for Māori.

This Thursday to Saturday and again on Tuesday, the Tui Ora clinics will be at New Plymouth’s TSB Stadium.

Tui Ora chief executive Hayden Wano encouraged whānau who were not sure about the vaccine to come for a kōrero with trained staff.

“We really encourage our whānau if they are getting mixed messages about whether it is safe or not, really encouraging them if they have got any doubts to rock up wherever we are running our clinics … and get the best advice you can, because we know there is a lot of contradictory [messages] and even a lot of misinformation, particularly in social media.”