If the Whānau Ora network had been allowed to deploy vaccinations in line with its business case sent to Ministers’ and
the Ministry of Health on 24 February 2021, Māori would as of Super Saturday (16 October 2021) be above 90% vaccinated.
“We were denied our opportunity to supply vaccinations by invitation and fell into a system designed with knowledge that
we would be last in the queue,” said Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) Chair Merepeka-Raukawa-Tait.
“For the record, our network consists of over 96 partners deeply embedded in every community suffering high deprivation.
Raukawa-Tait said 76% of the WOCA network is Iwi owned, “meaning our entire network is 100% owned and governened by
Māori.
“Within that network, we have 81 GP Clinics and over 200 vaccination sites, including mobiles,” she said.
“Twenty five per cent of the Māori population is under 12.
“We were premeditatedly discriminated against. We pointed this out to Ministers’, the Ministers’ of Health and District
Health Boards that even in pre-pandeminc Aotearoa, on standard immunisation programmes deployed across everyone of those
vaccinations, we lag 20-25% behind.
“That evidence alone meant that we needed our design accepted as of February.
“We are 10 weeks out from Christmas and because we were purposely left as second class citizens, the system will change
to ensure that vaccinated mainstream have a great Christmas.
“Our Māori people are exposed, and that is not right.”