April 06, 2020
Winter no time to lift pandemic pressure
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The head of the North Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency wants the government to commit to supplying the resources so it can continue getting hygiene and food packs to Māori as long as the COVID-19 threat is around.
John Tamihere says the pandemic has given Māori leadership a chance to stand up and look after their own people.
He says his agency has set up an extraordinary distribution system which is responding to Māori need and getting them the support they need.
"We need more resources to put packs out between May, June and July. If we can get ahead of this and we can get enough hygiene packs into our communities, if we can get enough awareness and support into them, the heavier months of winter, the death rate within us will not be as great as anticipated and one Māori dying of an influenza issue that could have been prevented is one too many," he says.
John Tamihere.
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