Covid 19 coronavirus: Why should Māori trust the vaccine?
19 Apr, 2021 04:42 AM
11 minutes to read
John Rarere with wife Michelle and mokopuna. Photo / Supplied
RNZ
By Te Aniwa Hurihanganui of RNZ
John Rarere s phone won t stop pinging. Over the last three months, it s been flooded with messages from relatives urging him and others to be wary of Covid-19 vaccines. They believe the Government is trying to scam everybody, he says. Some of them think the vaccine will change their DNA or that it contains nanotechnology which will eventually give the Government the ability to control them.
Hamilton-born Rarere, now living across the ditch in Brisbane, has counted more than 40 of his New Zealand-based relatives sharing ideas like these all over social media. He s never seen anything like it before.
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Ahead of a nationwide rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine to kaumātua, health providers say they re up against a tidal wave of misinformation and a deep-rooted distrust of the health system. But Māori are now mobilising to keep their own safe.
John Rarere with wife Michelle and mokopuna.
Photo: Supplied
John Rarere s phone won t stop pinging. Over the last three months, it s been flooded with messages from relatives urging him and others to be wary of Covid-19 vaccines. They believe the government is trying to scam everybody, he says. Some of them think the vaccine will change their DNA or that it contains nanotechnology which will eventually give the government the ability to control them.