Te Whānau o Waipareira CEO John Tamihere says expert evidence is clear that the vaccination rollout definitely discriminates against the poor, the vulnerable and brown people.
“The expert evidence is clear on that,” Tamihere says.
His comments come in response to Act Party leader David Seymour who publicly released priority access codes for Māori to get vaccinated without booking in advance, saying the virus doesn't discriminate on race, so neither should the rollout.
“Seymour comes from a very white, privileged, and entitled view, and the whole system is geared toward his view and his people. He (Seymour) race baits and he does it at the expense of our people.
Tweet from David Seymour
These priority access codes are part of an effort to lift the rate of vaccinations for Māori, which still sits at a low 13 per cent of the total population fully vaccinated. However, Tamihere does not agree with the narrative that Māori are being prioritised at all, even with these access codes.
“If we were prioritised, Māori would not be the least vaccinated community in the country. Pacific Island communities are ahead of us by a good percentage point.”
Seymour has come under fire for his comments from across the political divide, including from former New Zealand First leader Winston Peters who posted on Facebook saying low Māori vaccination rates are a threat to the whole population.
Tamihere says what Seymour did was try to “sabotage” the rights for equality of access for Māori to vaccinations.