With only 150,000 Māori having received their first Covid-19 vaccine dose, it is hoped that a new pilot to vaccinate workers on site will help with the low vaccination uptake.
The Warehouse Group has begun offering on-site vaccinations to almost 1700 of its staff in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, and Christchurch, and the Ministry of Health says it's a way of getting to people who would normally be rather difficult to get to, to get vaccinated, as with Māori.
"Giving all New Zealanders as many options as we can to access the vaccine, and workplaces are currently places where people can get the flu vaccine and it works really well," Covid-19 vaccine and immunisation programme director national contracts Rachel Mackey says.
"These are workplaces with high Māori, Pacific, rural shift workers, and also the opportunity, potentially to have a whānau approach."
Mikihana Clarke from Tāheke is one of 1700 hundred factory workers of The Warehouse being vaccinated while at work.
"It's a great idea to provide a pathway to receive the vaccine," Clarke said.
"Don't wait for the breakout because everyone is going to be queuing up when we go into another lockdown."
Terry Johnson, who leads health and safety for The Warehouse, says that the decision to be a part of the trial was easy.
"One of the things that we are really excited about is the fact that we have a diverse workforce that hopefully from a convenience perspective means we get a good uptake and lots of people from those groups represented."
The Ministry of Health is hopeful of rolling out workplace vaccinations in the coming weeks.