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Download AudioA member of Māori pandemic response group Te Rōpū Whakakaupapa Urutā says a lack of political will has stood in the way of Government doing the right thing for Māori – but Māori are doing it anyway.
Professor Papaarangi Reid says increasing the number of Māori being vaccinated seems to be too hard for the Health ministry and district health boards, even as they acknowledge higher risk and comorbidity factors for Māori.
It means iwi and Māori health organisations have put themselves at the frontline of testing and vaccination services – even if they still struggle to get all the resources they need.
"Isn't it refreshing to know we can do it, that we've got the innovation, that we've go the will, that we've got the mandate. It's very mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga for us to get out and do it because they won't put us first so I sort of hate it but I sort of love it too," Professor Reid says.
She says there are signs the current outbreak may be subsiding, but there are still many uncertainties about the way the delta variant operates.
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