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Hutt Māori vaccinations close to 90pc

Bridie Witton

There were selfies, smiles and some tears when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited the Tamaiti Whāngai Covid-19 Vaccination Centre in Lower Hutt yesterday.

Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Wainuiomata and Eastbourne are the last places in Wellington region to see 90 per cent of Māori receive both their Covid-19 vaccinations. They were teetering on the edge of reaching that target yesterday morning – just 396 doses away from the milestone.

Wellington and the Kāpiti Coast up to Waikanae hit the milestone for Māori vaccinations earlier this month.

Labour MPs Chris Hipkins, Ginny Andersen and Rino Tirikatene – all of whom represent parts of the Hutt – joined Ardern on a tour of the centre, having been earlier welcomed at Waiwhetū Marae.

People waiting to be vaccinated took selfies with Ardern in the background.

Clinical lead Josephine Rutherford told Ardern whole families were coming to the clinic for their booster dose and to get their eligible children vaccinated.

‘‘Most people that come in are quite keen and are ready to have it done,’’ she said.

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2022-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

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