Te Kahu O Taonui Taitokerau Iwi Collective Affirm Their Position And Encourage Vaccinations Against Covid-19

Te Kahu o Taonui which represents the key 12 Iwi entities across Te Taitokerau have joined together as a united front asking whānau of the North to vaccinate for the wellbeing of all whānau, hapū and iwi.

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā

Kia hiwa rā i tēnei tuku, kia hiwa rā i tērā tuku

Kia tū, kia oho, kia mataara!

Mai Tāmaki ki Te Rerenga Wairua!

Our Iwi collectively stand together in our call for all of our uri and individuals – living inside or outside our tribal territories – to have the COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.

Our tūpuna through He Whakaputanga me Te Tīriti o Waitangi asserted their Tino Rangatiratanga and the promise they wished for future generations.

It is within this vein that we as Iwi leaders will do the same.

Manaakitanga is the concept of caring for one another.

It is about protecting whakapapa; it is about kōtahitanga; it is the unity of the collective. These are concepts and values we know and understand.

Māori are more likely to die from COVID-19 than Pākehā and more than twice as likely to end up in hospital from COVID infection. Everyone aged 12 years and over is eligible for the vaccine, and the statistics are clear: Māori vaccination rates are significantly lower than every other ethnic group in Aotearoa. We need to change this.

Fear plays a large part in peoples’ decision to vaccinate, or not. For some, there is fear of getting the virus so they get vaccinated. For others, there is fear of having the vaccine, so they wait or choose not to get it. Kaua e mataku – make your decision based on credible information.

The vaccine is proven to be clinically safe. Unprecedented global scientific collaboration provided a number of vaccine solutions at pace. You can trust these sources of information to support your decision-making:

TKOT Website | Karawhiua | Unite Against Covid

The vaccine is working to save lives and protect our people, protect our reo, protect our whakapapa and protect who we are as Māori for generations to come!

Let us show our manaakitanga for one another - kia kakama, kia pakari tātou.

He kaupapa tēnei e tautokohia ana e nga iwi o Te Kahu o Taonui – ngā iwi whānui katoa o te Tai Tokerau:

NGĀTI WHĀTUA | DAME NAIDA GLAVISH

NGĀTI WAI | APERAHAMA EDWARDS

NGĀTI HINE | PITA TIPENE

NGĀPUHI | WANE WHARERAU

TE ROROA | THOMAS HOHAIA

WHAINGAROA | MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI

KAHUKURAARIKI | TERESA TEPANIA-ASHTON

NGĀTI KAHU | PROF. MARGARET MUTU

TE RARAWA | HAAMI PIRIPI

NGAI TAKOTO | WALLACE RIVERS & KAIO KARIPA

TE AUPŌURI | RHONDA KITE

NGĀTI KURĪ | HARRY BURKHARDT

You can trust these sources of information:

• Te Kahu o Taonui website
• Unite Against COVID-19
• Karawhiua

Below are links that have been supplied by some of our whanau at the University of Auckland to support you in your decision making:

• Te Reo Māori
• English Short Summary
• English Q&A

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