Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare says he's frustrated with the lagging numbers of Māori getting vaccinated against Covid-19, and says messaging on the issue "might not have been on point".
Latest figures by the Ministry of Health have Māori making up just 9.1 per cent of people having received their first jab of the Pfizer vaccine in New Zealand.
Meanwhile they make up just 8.9 per cent of New Zealanders that are fully vaccinated.
Henare told Q+A, he's been working with Māori to find out why many are still apprehensive.
"We've invested in a number of campaigns to support Māori and yet we find ourselves lagging behind," he said.
"I know the numbers are rising but they're stubbornly low. We still need more of our people to come forward to vaccinate."
Some experts have criticised the lack of conversation being had by the Government with Māori leaders around Covid-19 vaccinations.
But Henare says there have been intitiatives to encourage tangata whenua to get vaccinated in place for some time, including Māori-led vaccination centres.
"We've supported iwi and hapū to do specific messaging, getting leaders among those communities to promote the vaccine and we've been doing that since April," he said.
"But, for one reason or another, it hasn't quite hit the mark."
The less than ideal results has prompted him to reconsider whether the messages the Goverment's been using in its roll out for Māori have been ineffective.
"For some reason, and I acknowledge our messaging might not have been on point, people aren't coming forward."
According to figures from the Ministry of Health, almost one in seven Kiwis received a Covid-19 vaccination in the seven-day period through to August 31. While for Māori, vaccination rates were closer to one in 11.
Henare says the arrival of the Delta variant, which triggered the nationwide lockdown, has shocked Māori into getting the jab.
"Delta has certainly shaken our people into action but we need to keep our people moving forward."
While the number of Māori getting vaccinated is lower than the general population, Henare is determined to make sure the numbers rise.
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