Covid-19: Marae-based jab centre battles vaccine hesitancy as Delta reaches Wellington

Friday, 27 August 2021

Jacqueline Wimutu (left) getting her second jab by vaccinator Ladonna Gordon, a clinical lead at the Wainuiomata Marae clinic in Lower Hutt.

The river stones in the hangi pits out the back of Wainuiomata Marae have been left to go cold, but the Lower Hutt hub is humming to a different kind of gathering as the Wellington region’s first marae-based vaccination centre.

Smiles can be seen though the facemasks of the women directing traffic in the busy car park. The decorated panels inside the main building mark the centre out as more than just a clinic.

Auckland looks set to face two more weeks of alert level 4, Jacinda Ardern has announced, while everywhere south of the city will move to level 3 on Wednesday.

Administrative lead Keriana Kingi says it’s different to other vaccination centres, and that’s the point.

“The marae was set up to look after people. We know a lot of the people turning up, many of them are whānau.”

Keriana Kingi is the administration lead at the Wainuiomata Marae vaccination centre.

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Pharmacist Gemma Kyle prepares doses by diluting concentrated vaccine with saline at Wainuiomata Marae.

The clinic is an arrangement between two marae – Wainuiomata provides the venue and Seaview-based Kōkiri runs the clinic. It started in June with a goal of vaccinating 60 people a day. Kingi says the team has moved into a much busier period following the Delta outbreak and people are coming to the marae from all over the city.

“We’re doing over 300 people a day. We’re seeing lots of people coming through with their whānau. I think our busiest day was 380 people.”

Sidney Kennedy is in for his second jab, along with his partner Jacqueline Wimutu.

His mother is involved with the marae, and he thinks the community clinics are a good idea.

“It’s nice and close, it’s just easy. I do know some of the people [working] here. It’s relaxed.”

The clinic at Wainuiomata Marae has been vaccinating over 300 people a day since the start of the Delta outbreak.

Despite the bump in numbers, Kingi said Māori and Pasifika aren't turning up in the numbers they should – vaccine hesitancy is still strong in parts of the community.

“It’s a lot of the 20- to 40-year-old group discouraging the older people from coming down.

“Māori are still unsure about coming through – we’re having to call them, book them and chase them up ourselves.”

The reasons for the low Māori and Pasifika uptake were hard to pinpoint.

“Some are afraid they might get sick. [For others] it’s just getting down here – they might have a couple of jobs and be the sole earner in their whānau.”

It wasn’t uncommon for some people to be working two essential roles, she said.

Kingi was hopeful the vaccination message was getting across to people – if not to protect themselves, to shield young children ineligible for a shot.

“Under 12s can’t be immunised, so I think people are recognising how important it is not to let Covid into their home.”

The marae’s family is growing by the day. Locals who previously had no connection to it were coming in for the first time – even businesses were getting in on the act with the nearby pharmacy, Clive’s Chemist, sparing some of its staff to help out.

Kingi said the marae was a safe place for the community, and it could continue that ethos for as long as the community needed it.