I spent yesterday afternoon with a couple of doctors from Papakura Marae, going door-to-door visiting whānau who have tested positive for Covid-19. When all is said and done and we look back at Covid-19 in years to come, these are the two groups of Kiwis that won’t forget. And when the Government made that pivotal decision to start relaxing the toughest restrictions in Auckland, Māori vaccination rates were more than 26% behind those of the general population. It’s true that from a pragmatic perspective, she and her Cabinet colleagues simply cannot wait to relax restrictions until Māori vaccination rates are equal to those of the general population. Kiwis abroad who are missing out on their most important relationships will have little sympathy for a Government that’s really busy.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 19, 2021 21:07 UTC