December 01, 2021
COVID money slow to reach iwi
Ngāti Maniapoto is ready to dip into its settlement pūtea in case Covid gets out of control in Te Rohe Pōtae.
Chair Keith Ikin says the trust board applied to the government’s Māori community support fund four weeks ago and is yet to hear back.
It’s tagged $500,000 from its own funds, just in case.
“Should we get to three, four weeks into December and there is still no resourcing we need to be able to respond to the needs of our people so yes, it is still the last option for us to use our own resources but we need to be prepared,” Mr Ikin says.
He says any whānau who want to come home over the summer are being asked to ensure they are vaccinated, or at the very least have a negative Covid test.