Immunisation rates: Bay of Plenty, Lakes Māori children lag behind Europeans

NZ Herald

27-05-2025

Vaccines on the schedule are free for everyone under 18 in New Zealand, and include whooping cough and meningococcal B.
The latest Health NZ data on its website showed 50.2% of eligible Māori children aged 24 months had received their childhood immunisations, compared to 75.7% of European children in the Bay of Plenty for the three-month period ending December 31, 2024.
In the Lakes, 55.9% of eligible Māori children aged 24 months had received their childhood immunisations, compared to 76.1% of European children.
Nationally, 77% of New Zealand children had received their childhood vaccinations by age 24 months for the same period.
University of Auckland faculty of medical and health sciences senior lecturer Dr Natalie Netzler said many Māori children faced 'significant' structural and access barriers to vaccination.
This included limited healthcare facilities in 'underserved' areas, lack of transport options to get to a clinic, and long wait times for appointments, she said.
There were also issues accessing specific information about vaccines, particularly delivered in a culturally appropriate, trusted and supportive environment, Netzler said.
'Often the people I speak with in our communities are not 'anti-vax' ... they just have not had their specific query around vaccine safety answered, particularly if they or their child have an underlying health condition, and they are unsure of the safety of the vaccination.'
There was also a significant lack of trust in some cases, given previous inequity and historical injustice, she said.
Netzler said there were 'champions' across New Zealand tackling these barriers, including the Far North's Te Hiku Hauora Māori health service which took immunisations to communities who could not attend a clinic.
She said ideally, more than 95% of 24-month-old tamariki would be fully vaccinated to help prevent a measles outbreak.
'The current low vaccine coverage we see is putting lives at risk.'
She said measles was one of the most contagious but preventable viruses and could cause permanent hearing loss, brain inflammation and death.
Netzler said the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine was the best protection against measles and was 99% effective after two doses.
On May 13, Health Minister Simeon Brown said more than 80% of New Zealand children were fully immunised by age 24 months – the highest rate since early 2022.
Brown said it was a 'big step' towards achieving its goal of 95% coverage by 2030.
He said the Auckland measles case highlighted 'the urgent need' to protect children and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.
'If your child has missed any vaccines, now is the time to catch up.'