The iconic voice of Ardijah, Betty-Anne Monga, is bringing music, whakapapa and whānau storytelling together in a new Health New Zealand campaign aimed at improving childhood immunisation rates.
Health New Zealand has launched Story to Tell, the latest phase of its national childhood immunisation campaign, anchored by an original song written and performed by Betty-Anne and inspired by the experiences of three whānau — Manukaroa, Tane and Gabby.
Rather than relying solely on traditional public-health messaging, the campaign uses the lived experiences of parents navigating decisions about immunisation, with a focus on aroha, whakapapa, trust and protecting tamariki.
For Betty-Anne, the kaupapa also draws on her own experience as a teenage māmā raising four tamariki. Her daughter and sons joined her in recording the waiata, bringing another generation of her own whakapapa into the project.
The campaign arrives as significant inequities remain in childhood immunisation. Health New Zealand figures reported this week show 71.3 percent of Māori children were fully immunised at age two in June 2026, compared with 83.7 percent nationally. Māori coverage has nevertheless improved substantially from 60.6 percent in September 2024.
Health NZ Regional Clinical Director of Public Health Medicine Dr Ramon Pink, of Te Aupouri and Te Rarawa, says barriers can include cost-of-living pressures, difficulties accessing primary healthcare and mistrust. The campaign is designed to encourage informed conversations between whānau and trusted health professionals rather than simply telling parents what to think.
Story to Tell includes 11 advertisements across television, video-on-demand, digital and social platforms, alongside the complete waiata and the stories of the participating whānau.
For Betty-Anne, it is another example of the power of waiata to carry an important kaupapa — this time helping whānau have conversations about the health and future of their tamariki.
