Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi is pushing for vaccines to be prioritised for the most vulnerable communities, including Māori and Pasifika, saying they're statistically shown to be more susceptible to health conditions.
Calling it a "no-brainer", he said it would be "inhumane" of the Government to expect Māori to wait for the jab when they were facing a different level of risk than non-Māori.
Waititi is pushing for the Government to consider dropping what it considered a vulnerable age group, who will be prioritised for vaccination ahead of the general public , to 55 for Māori. This is 10 years younger than what is currently set.
Setting it to 55 would attribute for the 10 years lower-than-average life expectancy for Māori, Waititi said.
"You cannot put Māori measures to Pākehā measures when it comes to lifespan. That there to me is actually choosing an inhumane death for indigenous peoples that die 10 years earlier than everyone else," he told Q+A host Jack Tame.
"Look at the history that tells us that we have been the ones to suffer the most through pandemics in the past," he added.
"That's enough for me to say and to advocate to ensure that Māori and Pasifika communities and vulnerable communities are at the top of the list. Whether they live in town or whether they live in the rural areas, that shouldn't matter. Māori should be protected.
"If any Government in this country had a humane bone in their body, they would ensure that would happen."
MPs Rawiri Waititi, Andrew Little, Kris Faafoi and Kelvin Davis shared their thoughts.
With a higher proportion of Māori and Pasifika at risk of health issues that can be detrimental to those who contract Covid-19, Waititi said prioritising the groups is "based on need and not necessarily based on race".
"All of the statistics out there show Māori are more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, we get cancers earlier than most people and we die 10 years earlier."
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