Cheryl Meek (right) and her youngest daughter Hine Tuurama Meek, and partner Bert George got vaccinated to protect little Kaleah-Kohurangi Heta. Photo / Supplied
For Moerewa resident Cheryl Meek, getting vaccinated was about protecting the most precious thing on earth – her first mokopuna.
The principal of Te Kura o Waikare said her household had all been fully vaccinated, including her partner and youngest daughter aged 13.
Her eldest daughter and her partner, who live next door with 18-month-old Kaleah, have had their first vaccine and are due to get their second in the next few weeks.
Meek's dad, who lives in Auckland is also fully vaccinated.
"Our moko is the reason," she said.
"We wanted to protect Kaleah, she's our first mokopuna and we think she's most definitely worth protecting. Especially with the babies that have had it in Auckland, that was very scary."
Meek's message ahead of a nationwide push for vaccination on Saturday called Super Saturday is to tu whitia te hopo mairangatia te angitū or feel the fear and do it anyway.
"For me being an educator, I've just got to think more than myself, we've got to think about tamariki that don't qualify to get vaccinated and protect them as much possible - that's part of our job."
The Super Saturday national day of action will see vaccination clinics across the country open all day and into the evening as part of a push to reach the 17.3 per cent of eligible people yet to have a single dose.
The event is still going ahead, though Northland remains at level 3 until Monday.
Northland is lagging behind the rest of the country for vaccination rates, with 32.1 per cent of the eligible population of 163,095 not yet vaccinated.
In the Far North, 36.7 per cent of residents are not vaccinated, 33.6 per cent are unvaccinated in Kaipara, and 28.2 per cent are unvaccinated in Whangārei.
This is compared to the overall New Zealand rate of 17.3 per cent unvaccinated.
Far North mayor John Carter said the rates for his district were "seriously bad".
"But there's been a huge push-on by all sorts of different groups and leaders over the last few days, and I understand there's a positive response."
Carter said health professionals and leaders "will be out there with more testing and vaccinating" this Saturday.
"I hope that people will respond.
"If you feel you can't do it for yourself, think of your grandchildren, your uncles, aunts, family and friends – you're doing it for them.
"If you care for your community, and if you care for your family, and most people do, this is one of the best things you can do for them. It's not about me it's about us."
Whangārei mayor Sheryl Mai and Whangārei MP Emily Henderson had offered to drive people to the vaccination centres themselves at level 2.
However, after several recent border breaches, this won't be possible.
Mai said though Whangārei was leading the way out of the region's districts, "one in three people still haven't had their jabs".
"Ideally that should be at worst one in 10 – we need to really aim for that."
Mai said she wanted Northland to lead the country.
"We've got a lot of work to do to go from worst to best, but surely, collectively, we can find ways to get neighbours, friends and families to vaccination sites."
Henderson said Northland's slow vaccination uptake was "really worrying".
"All we can do is encourage, encourage, encourage people and that's what we're doing.
"That's why we've got the Super Saturday programme, and the rugby take two for life programme, the prize draws the DHB is running, and the local firms running barbecues for staff to congratulate them for getting their vaccination.
"The more we all vaccinate, the less likely we will be held to ransom by selfish people in the future. It's infuriating because everyone is trying hard to follow the rules.
"This is the moment; this is what enables us to release ourselves from the bonds of lockdowns because all of us will have our armour on. It's really crucial."
Kaipara mayor Jason Smith said Kaipara was particularly at risk of Covid because of its proximity to Auckland's border.
Some people were slow to get vaccinated because of long distances to travel to get to vaccination sites, he said.
"For those people who live in those remote areas, for many it's a long drive to get to Dargaville or Whangārei to get vaccinated."
He is also hearing that some farmers are "too busy" to get vaccinated due to the time of year, with silage taking up time and before that calving and lambing, he said.
Te Ha Oranga is setting up a second "roving van" to visit rural areas, Smith said, and he has also started the campaign A Kaipara Call to Arms, with a focus on getting more people vaccinated.
Smith's message for those who haven't yet received a dose is to "consider the freedoms that we all want will be easier once everyone's vaccinated".
"Vaccination is part of our pathway to getting our old freedoms back."
Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime said she has been reaching out to residents to allay their fears of getting the vaccine.
"My focus has been just trying to connect with people to have that conversation and find out the reason why they haven't been vaccinated yet.
"Not out of pressure but out of aroha and to find a way to find them support."
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