The Government has announced $140 million targeted funding for 160 health providers to help Māori and Pacific communities tackle the Omicron outbreak as daily cases continue to grow.
Almost $40m of the boost would go to Māori and Pacific health providers, $40.6m to Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency, $40m to build on the Māori Communities Covid-19 Fund and $1.75m for the Karawhiua Māori vaccination campaign.
There was $18m set aside for the Pacific Aotearoa Community Outreach Initiative.
Māori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis said a "key strategy for accelerating vaccinations has been to support the aunties, uncles and community leaders who are known, trusted, and listened to within their communities".
"We need to continue approaches that best look after our people, so they are prepared in the face of Omicron."
It was separate to the Care in the Community fund the Government announced last week, but aims to support it.
Waitangi Tribunal grants inquiry into Govt's handling of pandemic
The latest funding announcement came after the Waitangi Tribunal in December 2021 found the Crown’s response to Covid-19 was actively breaching the Treaty, and “Māori were put at a disproportionate risk of being infected by Delta” than other groups.
The Tribunal’s inquiry looked into whether the Government’s vaccination strategy and Covid-19 Protection Framework was consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Following its findings, the Tribunal recommended the Crown urgently provide further funding, resourcing, data, and other support to assist Māori providers and communities, with the continuing vaccination effort, targeted support for whānau hauā and tāngata whaikaha; testing and contact tracing; caring for Māori infected with Covid and self-isolation and managed isolation programmes.
Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare said Omicron was likely to disproportionately affect Māori and Pasifika communities.
“We know our funding to date has made a huge difference in lifting vaccination rates and reducing the vulnerability of whānau, but the fight is not over yet and Omicron presents a whole raft of new challenges.”
He highlighted how important the Māori health and community providers models of care had been in the Covid response.
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson said that had seen first dose Māori vaccination rates increase from 69 per cent to 90 per cent for first dose in under four months.
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