Ready, willing and able - 20 new recruits to the Whanganui vaccine campaign.
Photo: Supplied / LDR
Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) has delivered 4000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, mostly to border workers, frontline health staff, and rest home, police, fire and prison workers. People over the age of 65 will be offered vaccination in the next rollout phase, due to begin this month.
Iwi health authority Te Oranganui chief executive Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata said Māori working with the DHB continued to advocate for Māori over 50 to be included in the next phase. But she said the flipside to the issue was dealing with reluctance among many Māori to get the jab.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits Te Oranganui during Whanganui visit
6 May, 2021 04:30 AM
3 minutes to read
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at Te Oranganui. Photos / Bevan Conley
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was pleased to be able to visit Whanganui without an impending crisis on her hands. The last time I visited the region, it was the day I learnt of our significant unfortunate Covid outbreak in August last year. I needed to remove Whanganui from being a trigger, she said.
Ardern was in Whanganui on Thursday, visiting one of New Zealand s leading Māori health providers and a programme delivering employment and trades training.
What health changes mean for Whanganui region Māori
22 Apr, 2021 07:00 PM
5 minutes to read
Whanganui Hospital. Photo / Moana Ellis
Moana is a Local Democracy Reporter based in Whanganui
Health professionals in the Whanganui region are still in the dark about critical aspects of the health system overhaul but are optimistic the reforms could bring real change for Māori and the community.
While health service providers await detail on how the new system will work, the Whanganui District Health Board chief has made a personal commitment to stick by the community. In major Government reforms announced this week, the board will be scrapped by June 30 next year along with the country s other 19 DHBs.
Health shake-up: Whanganui leaders react to scrapping of DHBs in overhaul of health system
21 Apr, 2021 04:00 AM
6 minutes to read
DHBs are soon to be no more, with the government announcing moves to centralise the country s health system. Photo / Lewis Gardner
DHBs are soon to be no more, with the government announcing moves to centralise the country s health system. Photo / Lewis Gardner
Whanganui leaders have reacted to the government s move to centralise the country s District Health Board system, with mixed views on what the decision means for the district. On Wednesday Health Minister Andrew Little revealed plans to replace New Zealand s 20 District Health Boards with a single national health body responsible for the running of all hospitals.
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.