To vaccinate or not as Covid-19 Delta marches through Waikato?

Opinion piece by Anton Spelman, Ngāti Hikairo

The government is implementing a national strategy the key feature of which is vaccinations for everyone who will be seriously affected by COVID-19 and who can take a vaccine.

The purpose of the vaccine is to limit the opportunities the virus has to leap from person to person without any resistance at all.  

If we continue to do nothing or actively resist, we could soon all be dead.  Who is the winner from that little piece of resistance?  Not us for sure.  

The argument against vaccination

There is a significant body of opinion gathering strength across Waikato Tainui that opposes the national rollout of a government programme designed to bring an end to the relentless march of the deadly virus throughout the towns and cities of our rohe.

The national plan is simple – vaccinate against the onslaught of the virus and halt its forward movement.

I have heard objections to the rollout of this programme being presented as another breach of our Treaty rights.  Strictly speaking, the position has some merit.  There is no doubt in my mind there are valid arguments to support a challenge about the breach of Treaty rights in the way the national health programme has been conceived and rolled out.

However, the more compelling question is whether now is the time to have such a conversation.  Given the gravity of the situation before us, any choice to stand on our Treaty rights at this time becomes simply a naïve excuse for avoiding action for life for thousands of our people, many of whom may well die for a Treaty principle.

The virus appears to be undiscriminating so whoever comes into contact with it, will fall prey to its effects as it marches through Auckland and now into the Waikato.

We are behind the eight ball as far as dealing with the Delta strain of COVID-19.  It has already shown itself in Kāwhia and we are on the news today, now with the unenviable reputation of being the most under-vaccinated town in Aotearoa.

Where does the balance lie for us as Tangata Whenua, for Ngāti Hikairo and the Kāwhia tribes on this issue?

If you still think that this is all over-cooked, visit Middlemore hospital to see the level of struggle that those who are infected have to go through in order to continue to live.  There is no halftime in this game; the Delta strain plays hardball from the start to the end and if we are not prepared, we will die on the field.  

The balance must sit on the side of survival and survival will be achieved through the vaccination programme that has been designed specifically to resist the progression of the virus.

We choose death or we choose life – it really is as simple as that.  If we are going to choose life, and I sincerely hope we do, here’s what you can do:

Te Raukura Hauora o Tainui will be at Maketū marae tomorrow with the Waikato DHB testing for Covid and giving out free vaccinations from 10 am to 3 pm until Saturday afternoon.  The vaccinations are free and you don’t have to make an appointment.  In the meantime, local GP Dr "John" has already administered testing this afternoon and Raukura Hauora and the Waikato DHB will work in tandem with Dr John over the next 3 days.