How DHB won the double-vax race
Health providers say it was relationships and trust that got a Wellington district health board across the line to record a 90 per cent double-vaccination rate for eligible Māori.
Capital and Coast District Health Board was the first DHB to achieve the 90 per cent milestone for its Māori population on Thursday, with Canterbury and Auckland DHBs close on its heels for second and third place. But how did CCDHB do it? Respect for each other, a history of trust, and the DHB getting out of Māori health providers’ way seems to have done the trick, Capital Coast and Hutt Valley DHB director of Māori health Arawhetu Gray said.
‘‘[The DHB] started building our relationships with all our kaupapa Māori and Pākehā organisations six years ago because we didn’t have a good reputation of treating them well.
‘‘So when Covid came we had these relationships that weren’t transactional. They trusted us.’’
It’s what sparked the blueprint for the Covid-19 response when the virus reached New Zealand in March 2020, Gray said.
Trusted faces in trusted places, sharing of information, and relying on these relationships that were honest and honoured across the course of the vaccination marathon.
DHBs had control of most of the money that was being filtered out to health providers, which caused headaches for some providers across the country, but was streamlined in Wellington, Gray said.
‘‘We unapologetically focused on Māori.
‘‘That meant the DHB stepped aside, and we used our strengths and shared that with Māori providers. We said, ‘OK, tell us what you need and we’ll do it.’
‘‘It’s not about emotion, it’s based on fact. Not only is it the right thing to do, but factually it’s the right thing to do.’’
DHBs are bureaucratic, Gray said, they’re clunky, and it takes a long time to get things done, but Māori health providers, such as Hora Te Pai Health Services and Te Rūnanganui o Te tiawa, were agile and able to adapt to the needs of their communities.
Providers built their workforces from their own people, creating jobs and ensuring that the people on the front lines were people that their communities trusted.
‘‘The accolades go to all the people that are on the front line, to those who do it hard every day. It’s our job to get out of the way and make their lives easier,’’ Gray said.
Te Rūnanga o Te operations manager tiawa Tim
Bignall said the respect and acknowledgement the DHB had for the knowledge that Māori health providers have about their communities had a big impact on the ability to vaccinate whānau.
The wealth of knowledge that was brought to the DHB by the providers was what led to the programme’s success, Bignall said.
‘‘We had a seat at the table, we had that respect and acknowledgement, and it brought a different perspective across the DHB’s service.
‘‘It shows the value of what a Māori provider does bring to a community and their unique strength.’’
Bignall said his team took every opportunity they could to engage with their community at workplaces, kura, sporting events, and online to spark conversations about the vaccine in spaces that were their own.
‘‘On the journey to getting your jab, everyone’s individual experiences are completely different.
‘‘The data was really important so we could see where we needed to focus our work.’’ While the DHB was at 90 per cent double vaccinations for Māori and rising, the work isn’t over.
Boosters are available and the paediatric vaccine is on the way, alongside all of the other health issues Māori face, Gray said.
‘‘Covid is really important, but we can’t let our other negative health outcomes slip.
‘‘We have the formula for success – we can’t slip back to the old way of doing things. This new way has to be the norm.
‘‘These relationships and Abeing¯ honourable is the new way.’’