Puketeraki marae at Karitane yesterday hosted the first of two Covid-19 vaccination clinics, and 300 doses of vaccine had been set aside for a mix of locals who had already booked for their shots and walk-ups.
"I think the community is right on board," WellSouth associate Maori health strategy and improvement officer Peter Ellison said.
"There’s been a real mix here today, from local whanau to people who have travelled here."
The clinic was run by Otakou Health Ltd and Kati Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki, with the support of WellSouth and Southern DHB staff.
"We are running the clinics as a whanau-centric operation with whole families coming in to be vaccinated as a group," Mr Ellison said.
"We want it to be a social time as well, so there’s kai and cups of tea. It’s not as sterile as the bigger clinics where it can be quite regimented — here the doors are open and there’s music playing."
Other marae-based clinics are in operation in Otago and Southland and would be running until at least October.
"We will re-evaluate things then and see where are the gaps," Mr Ellison said.
"We might need to get to more remote areas, but we probably won’t have a sense if that is the case until some time next month."
