June 19, 2024
Low vaccination rates spark research
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The head of Māori health workforce ropu Te Rau Ora, Riki Nia Nia, says it’s not too late to turn around dire childhood vaccination rates.
Te Rau Ora is working with infections diseases research group Te Niwha on ways to improve rates in Counties Manukau and Waikato where rates for Māori and Pasifika children have dropped below 50 percent.
Mr Nia Nia says it’s not so long ago that South Auckland had good rates, and Māori providers in the region also ran highly successful Covid vaccination campaigns.
“So the muscle memory is there. We just need to get an understanding again to remind ourselves from our communities, from our whanau, from our kauupapa providers and our tribal leaders and champions for this, what are the things that work if we are serious about protecting the well being of our tamariki. We need to look at the things that worked for our whanau,” he says.
He says the solutions might include a mix of incentives and workforce development.
The project is part of Te Niwha’s wider research to find ways to protect New Zealand from infectious diseases and pandemics.