Flu jabs fall below target as Health NZ works to rebuild confidence in vaccines
Monday, 20 July 2026
Health NZ says vaccine hesitancy is likely the reason it has missed its immunisation targets, saying vaccine rates have declined for most age groups since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just 59% of people aged 65 and over had received at least one funded influenza vaccine this year, down from 64% in 2023/24 and well below Health NZ's target of 75%.
Preliminary figures for May show uptake has fallen further to just under 56%.
Meanwhile, flu vaccine uptake for this age group in May was even lower among Māori and Pacific peoples, at 46%, while 47% of Asian people aged 65 and over were immunised, compared with 56% for all ethnicities.
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National director of National Public Health Service Nikki Canter-Burgoyne said vaccine hesitancy had become more common since the Covid-19 pandemic and had likely affected vaccination rates.
“There is unfortunately a misconception that an influenza infection is usually a mild illness when it can cause serious illness and hospitalisation in otherwise healthy people.”
Those at highest risk of serious flu disease and complications include older adults, those with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease, babies and children under age 5 years and pregnant people.
She said they were working “really hard” to arrest the decline, including by increasing the number of places administering vaccines.
That included through GPs, community pharmacies, Hauora Māori and Pacific providers and Well Child Services, and more recently Lead Maternity Carer midwives.
From February this year, eligible midwives have been allowed to provide funded vaccines across pregnancy and the postnatal period.
She said Health NZ was also focused on rebuilding public confidence in vaccines.
“The influenza vaccine has been around for many decades, has a great safety record, does not contain live influenza viruses and cannot cause influenza.”
For children, the picture is mixed.
Immunisation rates for children fully immunised at 24 months have seen improvement, increasing from 77.3% to 83.7%, however children fully immunised at 5 years old dropped slightly, from 73.5% to 72.8%.
Canter-Burgoyne said while immunisation rates were improving for children, the 5-year-old figures lagged behind - measuring children vaccinated several years ago, when coverage rates were lower.
In 2022, Health NZ recorded the lowest immunisations rates it ever had for children, saying it had been accelerated by the pandemic.
Vaccination rates have been increasing since, with efforts were made by the Government to boost the vaccination workforce and invest $50 million for Hauora Māori providers to deliver additional vaccinations.
A spokesperson for Health Minister Simeon Brown said the Government’s five health targets are improving year-on-year, including immunisation rates for children at 24 months.
A sixth target has recently been introduced, aiming for more than 80% of people to access an appointment with a GP provider within one week.
Health NZ’s own targets for timely access to GP care has seen a 0.7% drop this year.