Andy Whitehead, a dairy farmer in Oaonui for over 30 years, has a phobia of needles - but he overcame that fear to get vaccinated and keep his family safe from Covid-19.
"Complacency is one thing but if it does get here, it's going to affect every farmer," he said.
Over 70 per cent of the eligible population in Taranaki have received their first dose, with 50 per cent fully vaccinated.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is visiting the region on Friday in an effort to boost vaccination rates.
New research from the University of Otago shows that vaccination rates in rural communities are lagging 10 per cent behind urban areas.
"Rural communities seem to be forgotten often because the focus is on major cities, hospitals - where large populations are and can gather in one place," the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network's Dr Grant Davidson said.
The Taranaki DHB have started an Around the Mountain vaccination campaign targeted at their rural community.
"We've got these mobile homes, we've got these rural clinics, we've got marae-based - we're just trying to infiltrate everywhere," the Taranaki DHB's Rachel Court said.
As for Whitehead, he’s encouraging other farmers to get vaccinated so they can continue work on the farm and keep their families safe.
"There's people that I've talked to, they wouldn't have been there, they wouldn't have got it yet if it hadn't been for being on our doorstep," he said.
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