NZ Government Commits $50 Million to Lift Immunisation Rates

A vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle on March 20, 2019. Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

An apparent reluctance among Māori people to have their children immunised against common infectious diseases has seen the government commit $50 million (US$31 million) to a campaign to increase immunisation rates.

Currently, only 66.8 percent of Māori children are immunised at eight months. That rises slightly to 70.1 percent at two years of age, but falls back to 69.7 percent for five-year-olds.

Health Minister Dr. Shane Reti announced the two-year programme on Jan. 10, which he says will aim to help Māori health providers work in their communities to improve those figures.

Dr. Reti—a GP before entering politics—said low immunisation rates put children at risk not just of unpleasant symptoms but also life-threatening, and in some cases deadly, illnesses.

“When there are outbreaks of serious disease like whooping cough or measles, which happens usually every three to four years, it’s high-needs communities and pēpi Māori [Māori babies] who are often more adversely affected. Immunisation is one of the best ways to set up tamariki [children] for a healthy future,” the minister said.

“That’s why this programme is important and why ... we’re determined immunisation rates will improve for all children, including low-coverage Māori babies and children.”

Elders’ Rates Also Low

The programme will also target Māori elders, whose immunisation rates are also low.

Of the $50 million over two years, $30 million will go to providers contracted through an existing scheme called Whānau Ora, described as “a culturally grounded approach to improving the wellbeing of whānau [families] as a group while addressing individual needs.”

Whānau Ora providers tend to work with those most at risk: Māori and non-Māori babies, pregnant women, and the elderly.

The previous Labour government committed just over $825 million to Māori health in the 2023 Budget, which included $168 million over four years for Whānau Ora.

Therefore today’s announcement is an effective 35.7 percent boost to the scheme’s funding over the next two years.

 An additional $10 million will go to North Island partners and $10 million to South Island partners.

“The new funding will play a vital role in helping Māori health providers better reach out into their communities,” Dr Reti said.

Better Access to Records

To further support the push to raise immunisation rates, Dr. Reti launched “My Health Record,” an app which will give people better access to their health records. He also confirmed the expansion of the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR), to support vaccination outreach activity.

The expanded register went live in early December, and allows health providers and vaccinators to view gaps in a patient’s immunisation history and be able to offer vaccinations through a person’s existing GP or a “vaccinator portal.”

Opposed to Coercion

Reasons for Māori resistance to childhood vaccination are complex, but a 2022 study of mothers in a relatively isolated part of the country found that “These māmā were not opposed to vaccination itself. They were opposed to how it was delivered [and] the coercive nature of how information was shared. [They] were frustrated by the transactional nature of vaccination, calling it a ’tick box exercise.'”

According to one researcher, Tanya Radford, First 1,000 Days Programme Lead at Te Hiringa Hauora, “These māmā have felt judged, patronised, rushed, and vulnerable. They have been put off getting healthcare for their tamariki and are suspicious of trying again. That is a problem because it leads to inequity, which is a fast track to a poorer quality of life.”