The 90% Project is an NZ Herald initiative that aims to reach all New Zealanders to get the word out about vaccination so we can save lives and restore freedoms. Video / NZ Herald
The path is being cleared for local health providers to boost their presence in unvaccinated communities as the country inches towards 90 per cent vaccination and above.
That's according to Tāmati Shepherd-Wipiiti - the Ministry of Health's Covid vaccination programme equity manager - who is predicting a much more localised approach to vaccination in order to reach those not yet engaged with the rollout.
Equity has been a point of contention with respect to the vaccine. Levels of vaccination for Māori have consistently trailed national figures - currently 46 per cent of Māori have had both jabs, much lower than the 67 per cent nationwide.
Studies have found structural racism is a key factor limiting accessibility to vaccination for Māori, older people and those in low socio-economic areas.
However, this last month has marked a turning point in how the vaccine rollout will be co-ordinated.
"We've made a big pivot in the last couple of weeks, we've not got the vaccine at the centre, we've got the whānau at the centre now," Shepherd-Wipiiti said.
One important aspect of this pivot had been changing the funding structure for vaccination providers.
A vaccination is administered at Manurewa Marae in Auckland - a site which has made great strides in vaccinating Māori. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Earlier in the rollout, providers were funded per jab and restricted what work they could do with hard-to-reach communities - which might need repeated visits, stretching resources.
Now, funding was available for providers to spend time in such communities and ensured vaccine-hesitant people were given the support they needed, Shepherd-Wipiiti said.
While such a pivot was incorporated in initial funding structure plans, it represented a significant shift in delivery of the vaccine - an arguably inequitable model, focused on urban centres and a rigid booking system, was replaced by a more flexible arrangement.
Where to get a vaccination in Auckland - without a booking
Questioned on the rollout's equity during its early stages, Shepherd-Wipiiti said it was a complex issue, as constraints on vaccine supply and health workforce limited what was possible initially.
However, Shepherd-Wipiiti pointed to the success of Super Saturday - during which more than 500 vaccination centres were open nationally for extended hours - as a sign of things to come.
"I think what we found on [Super Saturday] is what's good for Māori is actually good for all."
The vibe on Super Saturday was much more relaxed than the rollout had been previously - South Seas volunteer Vika Mafileo seen here at the Ōtara centre in South Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell.
A record-breaking 130,000 people were vaccinated across the country on Saturday. It also doubled the highest number of Māori to get the jab on any one day.
The key to the event's success was ease of access, Shepherd-Wipiiti said, and that would be reflected in future engagement with more hesitant whānau.
"What we saw [on Super Saturday] was a mixture of the apathetic and the moderately hesitant people coming in, we're still not at the hesitant or the very hesitant and I don't think mass events are going to bring them in.
"You'll see a big switch coming which is going to be around more mobile [clinics] in community than we've already had."
Mobile vaccination clinics were by no means new - it had been a resource used by many Māori providers across New Zealand.
However, Shepherd-Wipiiti said an emphasis would be placed on local health staff from district health boards and general practice engaging with people in their communities on a regular basis.
He also cited the importance of religious leaders and their role in promoting vaccination - something observed during a study of Ireland which had seen strong uptake of the vaccine among its religious population.
"When you get the support of your community leaders, people listen," he said.
Māori religious leaders would be of particular focus, Shepherd-Wipiiti said, in an effort to drive vaccinations level for tangata whenua.
"People are just willing to hear from people they trust and for many people, that's their pastor."
