The 90% Project: Top Towns - Whanganui drops again, South Taranaki continues rise

The Whanganui District has dropped another spot in the race to 90 per cent vaccination, while South Taranaki has jumped ahead. Photo / NZME

Whanganui has dropped another position in the race to 90 per cent full vaccination as the district records its first case of Delta.

The latest Ministry of Health data shows Whanganui has dropped to 54th position (out of 66), with 81.5 per cent of the population fully vaccinated.

This time last month Whanganui was in 42nd position, with around 72 per cent of its eligible population vaccinated.

The wider Whanganui District Health Board region needs another 5,175 people to get fully vaccinated before it will cross the 90 per cent threshold, but just 767 doses are needed to hit 90 per cent with at least one dose.

Also dropping this week is the Rangitīkei District, slipping four positions to 45th place - the lowest the district has been.

So far, Rangitīkei has fully vaccinated 83.4 per cent of its population, while 6.7 per cent have had only one dose.

The South Taranaki District continues to lead in this part of the country, staying steady at 27th position. The district has seen one of the biggest rises of the Top Towns campaign, after sitting at 55th place just five weeks ago.

So far, 86.8 per cent of the district's population is fully vaccinated, while 7.9 per cent have had one dose.

The Ruapehu District remains one of the worst-performing in the country, dropping one spot to 64th equal, alongside the Kawerau District.

Just 74.8 per cent of the Ruapehu population is fully vaccinated, while 9.9 per cent have had one dose.

A total of 15.3 per cent of the district's eligible population remain without a single dose of the vaccine - the fourth-highest unvaccinated population in the country.