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More than 50 per cent of eligible Māori have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and one in four are fully vaccinated.
Whānau Ora and Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare say that means over 285,000 Māori have had their first dose.
He says it shows the effectiveness of the whānau-based approaches adopted by Māori health providers and the Whānau Ora provider network.
However, Māori rates are still lagging.
By Saturday, 73.1 per cent of eligible New Zealanders including 78 per cent of eligible Aucklanders had received at least their first jab of the Pfizer vaccine.
The Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency and Te Whānau o Waipareira are stepping up the effort to reach Māori with a Fight for your whakapapa campaign.
Starting today the 0800 4 MAORI phone line will operate 7 days a week between 8 am-8 pm, and Auckland radio stations and social media platforms will be used to keep whānau updated on where the mobile vaccination bus will be in the community. Other vaccination options are available for Māori including walk-in vaccination centres, pharmacies, GPs, mobile and pop-up clinics, mass vaccinations, workplace events, drive-through centres and marae-based programmes.
Waipareira chief executive John Tamihere says the bus had a trial run at the Ranui Caravan Park on Thursday, where almost all the 50 or so residents were vaccinated.
He says whānau are not afraid of getting vaccinated, but may not be able to get to a vaccination centre.
Clinic workers also took saliva tests from around 25 residents of the caravan park and all came back negative within a 12-hour turnaround.
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