1 Apr 2021

NPH Rural Health Nurse, Gina Chaffey-Aupouri was one of around 100 Ngati Porou Hauora front line staff to receive their first of two COVID-19 jabs.

The vaccinator team from Hauora Tairawhiti travelled to Te Puia Springs Hospital to deliver the vaccinations to NPH staff and it’s pakeke residents.

Gina who is anaphylactic was terrified of receiving the Pfizer vaccine. She persevered after attending the hui at Uepohatu days before.

“I’m always around heaps of people, I need to make sure I’m safe, so when I visit Mum, I won’t put her at risk”, she says.

Being a role model for the whanau and helping to protect her own parents and kaumatua who may have health conditions were some of the reasons Adrianne Hovell (pictured above) choose to be vaccinated.

"I didn't know too much about it and I was paku scared, but after reading info sheets at mahi and hearing the Minister talk about it at Whakarua, it convinced me to have my shots" she said.

When the vaccinations roll out to the wider communities, rural isolation will not prevent our people from receiving them.

“When we go up the Coast, we're not going to vaccinate just the pakeke, the kaumatua and kuia. We're going to vaccinate the community.  We are not going to turn someone away. If they bring their nanny, we’re not going to say ‘we won't vaccinate you, come back in a month' because that's just nonsense.” Hauora Tairawhiti Chair, Kim Ngarimu said earlier at the Toitu Tairawhiti parakuihi with Minister Peeni Henare.

Cara Pewhairangi-Lawton, NPH Senior Business Manager says providing our people with a good vaccination experience is a priority - whether it's at a clinic or marae, manaakitanga must be expressed at all times.

“We want to make sure our people are looked after from the beginning to end. Simple things like providing a kapu ti, having trained staff on hand to korero with our people who may have anxiety and providing warm triage rooms especially with winter approaching.”