New Zealand's 90% Vaccine Target Could Still Leave Maori Exposed
- Lofty target could be reached with Maori rate lagging
- ‘Vaccines in poor communities are not their priority’
Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
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New Zealand’s ambitious plan to vaccinate 90% of people against Covid-19 before re-opening to the world may not be enough to protect one of its most vulnerable groups from the deadly virus: the indigenous Maori population.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s roadmap to begin freeing the country from lockdowns and opening the border centers on her vaccination target being met. But because Maori account for only 17% of New Zealand’s five million people, it could be achieved with vaccination rates among tangata whenua -- the people of the land -- still lagging far behind.