Oliwia Szostek, 14, receives her second vaccination from Kylie Cherrington, vaccinator at Ngāti Hine Health Trust. Photo / Tania Whyte
Photo / Supplied
Oliwia Szostek, 14, receives her second vaccination from Kylie Cherrington, vaccinator at Ngāti Hine Health Trust. Photo / Tania Whyte
Photo / Supplied
Covid vaccination rates in parts of rural Northland are seriously lagging behind, with the unvaccinated in a scarcely-populated district as high as nearly 40 per cent.
Figures of first- and second-dose vaccinations broken down by areas around New Zealand released by the Ministry of Health yesterday shows fewer than 50 per cent of the eligible population in a vast number of areas across Northland aren't fully vaccinated.
Kaipara is among the worst and mayor Jason Smith said the numbers were "a real concern", particularly given his district's close proximity to Auckland.
According to the Northland District Health Board, 38.8 per cent of Kaipara's eligible population are unvaccinated, nearly 25 per cent are partially vaccinated and 36.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Smith yesterday started the campaign A Kaipara Call to Arms, with a focus on getting more people vaccinated.
A vaccination rally is planned at Kai Iwi Lakes next Saturday, in conjunction with Te Ha Oranga, and Smith is encouraging people not to miss the opportunity.
"I think people in Kaipara will be shocked to realise the low vaccination rates but the Delta virus has changed the game, it's more contagious, but there's almost no chance of people ending up in a hospital if they are vaccinated," Smith said.
Kaipara Coastal has the worst vaccination rate, with just 32.6 per cent or 1018 people fully vaccinated, followed by Ruawai-Matakohe at 37.5 per cent (779 people).
Places in Northland with the highest first-dose uptake per 1000 population are Marsden Bay (826), Riverview and Russell (816 each), Pukenui (810) and Parua Bay (804).
Whangārei list MP Dr Shane Reti will take off his MP hat, put on the medical doctor one and help with vaccination in Northland next week.
He helped with door-to-door visits during the measles outbreak in 2006 and said he was ready to roll up his sleeves again.
A lack of access for rural residents to the Covid vaccination, hesitancy in some quarters, and the late involvement of GPs and primary care professionals have contributed to the low vaccination numbers, he said.
Dr Reti will help vaccinate at Bream Bay Hall in Ruakaka on October 13, at Tuparehuia first aid clinic the following day and at Whananaki North Hall on October 16.
In the Far North, vaccination rates are — with one striking exception — closely aligned with income.
Prosperous east coast towns such as Russell and Kerikeri have been vaccinated at twice the rate of poorer towns such as Kaitaia and Kaikohe or the rural Mid North.
The highest fully vaccinated rate in the Far North by a long way is Russell with 70.3 per cent.
While Russell is a high-income area, its high jab rate may also reflect the success of a collaboration between Russell St John and Ngāti Hine Health Trust.
A pop-up Covid vaccination clinic on Cameron St in Whangārei.
Photo / Tania Whyte
That community-driven vaccination scheme got off to an early start and set up its own booking system at a time when the national system was dogged with problems.
The next-highest full vaccination rates in the Far North are Russell Peninsula (62.5 per cent), Opua and North Cape (equal on 55.7 per cent), Kerikeri's Riverview (53.9 per cent) and Taumarumaru (Cooper's Beach, Cable Bay and Mangonui, 52.5 per cent).
Riverview got off to a slower start than Russell but its current rate for first jabs is a first-equal 81.6 per cent, suggesting it is picking up speed.
The only real anomaly is North Cape.
Although the area has a booming horticulture industry it also has a high Māori population and pockets of deprivation, factors which are elsewhere associated with low jab rates.
Te Rūnanga-nui o Te Aupōuri chief executive Mariameno Kapa-Kingi put the area's high jab rate down to ''ordinary Māori things'' such as whakapapa and whānaungatanga, and the way they were applied by Māori-owned and -operated organisations.
A similar effect could be seen in Te Whānau-ā-Apanui territory near East Cape, which had a high vaccination rate despite its deprivation. Both areas also had leaders who were actively and persistently fronting the vaccination message, she said.
Meanwhile, the Far North's lowest jab rate, 27.6 per cent, is in Waimā Forest, the rural hinterland midway between Kaikohe and South Hokianga.
Omahuta Forest-Horeke — which includes struggling areas such as Utakura Valley, Horeke and Rahiri — is not far ahead on 27.7 per cent.
Next lowest are Kaikohe (28.9 per cent), Kaitaia East (30.8 per cent) and Peria (32.3 per cent).
Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi chief operating officer Tia Ashby said there were many reasons it was hard to convince people in some areas of Northland of the need to get vaccinated.
''The biggest reason is there's been a lot of false information, like the vaccine will make you magnetic. A lot of it comes from the US. Others feel they don't have enough information or they're not convinced of long-term effects.''
Whangārei List MP Dr Shane Reti will roll up his sleeves and help with vaccinating Northlanders next week.
Photo / Supplied
Ashby said staff spent a lot of time countering misinformation and explaining why Māori were especially vulnerable to the virus.
They also encouraged people to call whānau members who had had the vaccine to talk about it with them.
To help people without transport, a mobile clinic was visiting homes and communities around the Mid North — staff gave 50 jabs in Ōhaeawai on Friday, for example — and health workers were about to go door-to-door in Kaikohe.
A dirt bike and burnout competition in Kaikohe on October 16 with phone, PlayStation and motorbike prizes would bring in other hard-to-reach groups, she said.
In terms of the fully vaccinated population, Northland parallels the majority of Wellington suburbs and central South Island, which were also below the 50 per cent mark.
Pop-up vaccination clinics (no booking required):
Dargaville Northland District Health Board 22a Normanby St (next to the Dargaville Yugoslav Hall, opposite Caltex and the Farm Machinery Centre) Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm
