December 01, 2021
Waikato not ready for border green light
The chair of Waikato-Tainui’s Te Arataura executive says the rohe needs more time before the borders with Tāmaki Makaurau are open.
Waikato has orange status under the new traffic light system which will come into effect on Friday, despite cases still popping up.
Linda Te Aho says that’s less of a concern than the border opening set for December 15.
She says the iwi needed another couple of weeks to bring vaccination levels up in remote areas and to get through to those people refusing because of notions like individual freedom.
“We go in and we talk about, ‘hey we’re are connected people as Māori’. It’s not just about you. You’ve got to think about the health and well-being of Nana over there who may not be able to get the vaccine and those people of there and with underlying health concerns that means that if they do get the vaccine, they’re really going to suffer.” she says.
Te Arataura is urging whānau to stay home this Christmas and not bring the virus to beachside communities.
She says while the shift to the traffic light system is a political decision because those who are following the rules and are vaccinated are chafing at the restrictions, the virus is still being spread by people not following the rules.