IMAGE: Minister Peeni Henare
The Executive Director of the New Zealand Maori Council, Matthew Tukaki, has welcomed the announcement by the Government that the vaccine roll-out programme is ready to roll and vulnerable communities will be first out the gate. Two million New Zealanders would be able to get their first vaccination in the next three to four months under the government's rollout plan. This includes priority populations, approximately 1.7 million people who are at high-risk if they catch Covid-19 - that group will start getting vaccinated in May – and this includes Maori.
“We have said for a long time that we need to ensure we follow a plan that will see the most vulnerable our community in the first run – Maori health data tells us that our people are not just vulnerable but also the deficits in health are also well known – cardiovascular, diabetes, cancers and while we have dodged a bullet with COVID 19 that came down to the Maori community response.” Tukaki said
“I have to say thank you to the Government for listening, to Peeni Henare for ensuring that Maori and our health network play a key roll but now lets get on with the job of ensuring that not just Maori but all New Zealanders are protected.” Tukaki said