Māori Party List MP based in Te Tai Hauāuru - Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, claims the Government and Ministry of Health are blinding Māori Health providers and Iwi by withholding key information.

This comes after the PM yesterday, alluding to a heat map that today shows 266-people outside of Tāmaki-Makaurau who have been at the 190-locations of interest. Whilst 5065 contacts have also been identified, a number set to double by today.

“Māori Health providers and Iwi across Te Tai Hauāuru have informed me that they are being blinded by the Ministry of Health and Government by withholding key information,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

“Our providers are so crucial to the COVID-19 response but are finding it difficult when critical information like locations of those close contacts and those who have been in places of interest, are being kept under wraps.”

“Right now, our providers are testing whilst blind and that is simply ineffective to support the national response,” said the Māori Party co-leader.

Te Runanga o Ngāti Ruanui Health general manager, Graham Young says “we have no insight into the amount of casual or close contacts who are currently in the Taranaki region. To have this information would allow us to be better resourced, move quicker and ensure we are preventing any further spread.”

Whānau Ora commissioning agency regional manager for Te Tai Hauāuru, Hinemoana Durie-Shedlock says, “there are alliances forming to help vaccinate our people, the more resourcing and intel we get, the more able we are in stopping the spread of COVID-19.”

“Our communities have proven time and time again that when resourced with key, adequate information and with the required equipment, we have the ability to stand up an effective response,” says Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“The delta-variant is extremely contagious; we only have to stand in Ōpunake and gaze across the ocean and look at Australia. To get ahead of this little beast, the Government needs to equip our providers with real time information. This allows us to best support their response and to help protect our whakapapa” said the List MP based in Te Tai Hauāuru.

“It is not about naming and shaming; it’s about making sure authorities are giving the communities and providers the chance to establish a response,” said the Ngāti Ruanui health general manager.

“We must be proactive, Taranaki has only five-ICU beds available with the potential to ramp up to nine – and that is with an absolute challenge,” said Graham Young of Ngāti Ruanui.

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