Ko Mihingarangi tenei e mihi atu nei ki a koutou katoa. Welcome to The Hui, Maori current affairs for all New Zealanders. E taro ake nei ` mandatory vaccination for all teachers. - Yeah, that's not easy, cos, you know, kura. They're not only our kaiako; they're our whanau. They're a part of our community as well. - We look at how one kura kaupapa Maori is responding to the call. - I'm fully supportive of protecting our whakapapa, protecting our own and caring for own people. No one else will do it. We've gotta do it. - Maori lives on the line ` we discuss the call to return Tamaki Makaurau to Level 4 with Dr Rawiri Jansen. - We can do it now in anticipation of protecting ourselves well, or we can do it later because the outbreak gets away on us and our health system is broken. - And we're on the road with Te Tai Tokerau Border Patrol defending the north from Delta. - I don't play games or politics with my family's lives or my children's lives. I take it seriously. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 - Tahuti mai. As Delta case numbers continue to rise, the education sector has been delivered an ultimatum. Teachers and kaiako must be vaccinated by January the 1st or find a new vocation. It's a move supported by teaching unions and supported by many whanau who consider the safety of tamariki a priority. Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi in Tamaki Makaurau fully backs the government's call but says it does present some unique challenges. I korero a John Boynton ki te tumuaki o kura, ki a Hare Rua. (PULSING MUSIC) - As Auckland stretches into a 10th week in lockdown, schools in the region still remain closed. Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi Tumuaki Hare Rua is seeing the toll this is taking on tauira and kaiako. - Tamariki are definitely worn out, and then some are in quite tough situations where home isn't easy. We have breakfast here on our kura... in our kura in our whare, and then we have cooked lunch every day, so to have that taken away from them can be really tough for some of our whanau who aren't so well-to-do and who need that support and that hand up from the different community organisations, from the kura and from our marae. When schools do open their classroom doors again, one thing is certain ` all teachers will have to be fully vaccinated by the start of the 2022 school year. - Schools and early learning staff who have contact with children and students will need to be fully vaccinated by the 1st of January 2022. - What do you think about that decision? - I'm fully supportive of protecting our whakapapa, protecting our own and caring for our own people. No one else will do it. We've gotta do it. And so it's a decision that I... I'm OK with, I'm really good with, actually, and I'm hoping that our kaiako will take it on board. In our kura, we do have some of our kaiako who are reluctant, and so it's about getting... wrapping that support around them and putting them in touch with the right people to discuss what their fears are. And for some of them, it's fear ` it's fear of the unknown. And Debbie Ngawera-Packer, I loved how she put it, where, you know, there's people getting their science degrees from the University of Facebook and know everything that there is to know and more around vaccination. And so it's fear from delving and diving into those areas when, you know, some of the answers` in fact, all the answers are sitting right there with our takuta Maori ` with our Maori doctors ` who have put out multiple korero, Facebook Live and videos around answering common questions. - Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Hoani Waititi is a busy whanau hub. It has a kohanga reo, kura tuatahi and a whare kura, as well as having kaumatua flats near the school grounds. - You know, they're vulnerable. So when we come back into kura, we need to believe and know that they're going to be safe, and so the call that the government has made is one that I do support, and I think it's for the well-being of our own whanau, our tamariki and for our people. - What is that breakdown of those who are vaccinated and those who still aren't? - In terms of kaiako? - Yeah, is it a big number who aren't vaccinated or...? - No, no, no. It's only a small number. Probably of our 30 kaimahi, we might have five. Five, but all you need is one. (CHUCKLES) All you need is one, especially when you've got a primary school of 100-plus kids. All you need is one that's not vaccinated and then comes in and is infected or, you know, carries the virus. - If you do have to come to that... moment where you have to decide if a teacher stays or goes because they won't get vaccinated, how hard is that? - Yeah, that's not easy, cos, you know, kura. They're not only kaiako. They're our whanau. You know, we're very, you know... That's how it is. They're family. They're part of our community as well. It's not a path that I hope we go down. You know, I hope we can work this through with our kaimahi right now who have reluctant till now. I'm hopeful that it's more uncertainty and answers... questions that need to be answered for them. I do get a feeling that that is the case for some, and I'm hoping it's the case for all. - But the reality is those teachers who continue to refuse vaccination won't be able to work in schools. - A loss of anyone is a blow because we're understaffed as it is as kura. If we lose our kaiako, you know, that's huge for us, cos we don't have this pool or puna of magic kaiako, you know. And people just have so much to offer our tamariki. We don't have a big pool of them. In fact, we don't even have a shallow pool. (CHUCKLES) - How are the vaccination efforts going for those tauira who are 12 years and older? - So we're up at about, probably, 75% of our tamariki have had their first jab, the first vaccination, that are 12 years and up, through to Year 13. So we've got a bit of reluctance in a few of our tauira. And so we've got a few incentive programmes that we're putting together, and then also making our vaccination team available just to sit down. So we've said to come in and have a cup of tea and just sit down and ask questions. You know, we've got a summer coming up. We've got a good summer of concerts and whatnot coming up, so you're hoping, you know, those sorts of things are enough to encourage our rangatahi to get vaccinated and allow them to be a part of everything that's going on, as opposed to being excluded from multiple kaupapa that'll happen leading into the summer, over the summer and then into the new year. - As well as lifting vaccination rates, Hare Rua says another major challenge is ensuring tamariki and kaiako are supported when they do return to kura. - I think when it comes to returning to the classroom, part of it is not thinking we're just going to jump straight back into school mode and the way that school runs every day and all that sort of stuff. We've got to be quite innovative in how we bring our tamariki back from nearly` well, 10 weeks. It might be 11, it might be 12 weeks. And how do we bring them back and transition them back from home into kura? So we really gotta have a robust plan in place. We have our own health hub here ` o kiri te oranga. We have a team of two Maori nurses; a doctor ` Maori doctor; our whanau worker` our whanau support person; and also the co-ordinator. They're all Maori, and they all speak Maori, so it's also` They're ready, and so I've been working with them. They're running the vaccination clinic. They're ready for when we come back into school. - I guess over these lockdowns, you would've seen the cumulative effects of lockdowns on children's behaviour and their mental health. That must have a big impact as well. - Yeah, yeah. So this year, the first lockdown this year, which was a short Level 3 lockdown, I think it was. But, you know, our kids come back from that, and they weren't too bad. And then we had the second along after that, and when they came back from that lockdown, we started noticing behaviours from tamariki who wouldn't normally behave in a particular` that way. But we started seeing these behaviours coming out in multiple tamariki. I guess this time around, we're better prepared ` I guess, better preparedness ` seen as that we've experienced it, and it's not something that'll be totally foreign to our kaiako. Yeah, it's just about` Once again, it's about having that discussion, having that wananga and being prepared mentally and picking up the signs pre anything happening. It's just picking up the signs and knowing that, you know, this is possibly coming. So we've got a lot of work to do. It's going to be a slow recovery for Tamaki Makaurau, but it'll be a recovery that we've got to really work hard towards, cos we can't sit and look back. You know, look back and say, 'Oh, you know, we're hard done by,' because the reality is this... the situation we're in, it is the situation we're in. And so we need to deal with that and then plan to move forward and do the best we can. - Na John Boynton tera purongo. After the break ` we're on patrol with Te Tai Tokerau Border Control. It's been a tough few weeks for communities of Te Tai Tokerau, who have been on tenterhooks in alert level 3 as they wait to see if Delta has invaded the North. Fortunately, front-line mana whenua kaitiaki swung straight into action. Te Tai Tokerau Border Control is standing guard and determined not to let Delta in the door, Anei te ripoata a D'Angelo Martin. - Te Tai Tokerau Border Control. Northland's first line of defence against Delta. - Kia ora. - Kia ora. - How are you today? - Very good. How are you? - Oh, I'm good, thanks. - Volunteers checking every car, every person as they try to stop an invisible enemy from seeping into the community. - And whereabouts are you heading to? - (INDISTINCT) Road. - (INDISTINCT) Road. OK, you have a good day, eh? Nga mihi. - Northland was plunged back into Level 3 a fortnight ago, when two woman, now known to have COVID travelled from Tamaki to the region. They used fake travel documents and have been uncooperative with authorities ` something that's frustrating for Reuben Taipari, of Te Tai Tokerau Border Control. - The biggest disappointment for us was that she wouldn't share with us the information to protect those communities that she went into. That's what we were wanting support and wanting communication with her about. But we learnt from that experience. We realised that it's going to happen again. We're dealing with people, that` everyone's got issues that they have to deal with personally. We're just trying to best that we can to make them understand that` to be vigilant and to take this pandemic seriously. - He believes if iwi had been manning the borders at the time, that the situation could have been avoided. - We would have been able to contain it. You'll see from the examples today that we all know each other. We're all local, so we know how the movement of our communities work. - With many northern whanau living in Tamaki and eager to return home, Reuben is grateful to those who are respecting the boundaries. - Aroha tetahi ki tetahi. Just lots of respect and aroha to all of our whanau in Tamaki who are understanding the importance of maintaining good ethics, good etiquette around containing the pandemic down there in Auckland and just to kia kaha, that we're looking forward to seeing our whanau again. - Until then, volunteers like Nyze Manuel will continue to man the borders - There's no one better to know how to look after us than us. In remote rural areas, it's us that knows us. It's us that know where our whanau are and, you know, working with the police is a big bonus as well because we can share. We can share how to best protect our people and we want the same outcome. COVIDs the enemy here. - And it's an enemy creeping closer to the people of the north. - Tai Tokerau Border Control will do our very best to do what needs to be done so that our people can prepare themselves. And yes, COVID is going to come and how we manage it and how we better do things around COVID, you know, my best advice, personally: whanau, you know what needs to be done. Get vaccinated. - It's a view shared by Ruben. We spoke to him again after a long shift manning the checkpoints about how the pandemic will affect Northland. - The history that my family personally has within our whakapapa around pandemics, decimating my particular whakapapa, it is a reality to me. So I don't play games or politics with my family's lives or my children's lives, I take it seriously. - You were initially hesitant to get vaccinated. What changed your mind? - I've been a organic... A farmer for... 30, 40 years now. And we just like the natural lifestyle. We love natural food, organic food. We love organic medicines. Rongoa Maori. Maori is very important to us. Te ao Maori, connected to our atua Maori. So the reasons why we were concerned at vaccines is, they just come from a... A childhood brought up being in te ao Maori, rongoa Maori. And the reason why I changed for the COVID is... The amount of information and the people that I spoke to about it, throughout the world in five different countries, including Spain, Scotland, Arizona, America, Australia and over here, in two` in two universities, all had exactly the same statement. If you're indigenous, vaccinate your people because we are the most highest at risk. We have the worst statistics of social statistics or economic or health statistics. We've got the lowest vaccination rates. So it is inevitable that there will be damage. There will be harm to our populations and communities. - At more than 13,000 square kilometres, the Northland region is large and rural. vaccination uptake has been slow, particularly amongst Maori. And while that's starting to change, many are still expressing concerns about the vaccine. - But we don't have the luxury to play politics in this particular scenario. We don't have the luxury to get involved in conspiracies. - Do you feel that it may be a matter of time before Delta reaches every part of Te Tai Tokerau and Te Hiku o Te Ika? - I believe it does. I believe it will, and it won't take long for it to blow out of control. Once it's out of control within our communities, it's almost impossible to pull it back in and we'll have to leave it to run its course. That would be devastating to our communities and telling everybody that I told you so doesn't mean anything. This is what history has taught us has occurred before. It's not a myth or a assumption, it's a real thing that's happened to us before. - What is your message to Northlanders who may be still hesitant on` or on the fence with the vaccination? - The reality of the world is that the choice will become inevitable. You'll choose whether to vaccinate or not, it is not the first time that the world has had to... make a choice such as this to` to accept a vaccine in order to... to contain a pandemic. I don't think it will be the last time. I suppose the only thing that I can add to that, for those who are hesitating, is that it as a medical issue, it is not a political issue. And look at the medical evidence, put aside all of those conspiracies and everything at this time and do what's best for your whanau. - And the people of Northland are rising to the challenge. There's been massive vaccination surges all over the region in the past week, including Reuben's kuia. - My Nana and (INDISTINCT), they just had theirs today and she texted me this morning, (INDISTINCT) I said whaea, please. You're going to go to all these hui, just protect yourself. And she confirmed that she had done it. She said, 'I don't know what all the hullabaloo is about, boy. We can get on with our mahi.' - And that's exactly what Reuben's doing. Protecting Te Tai Tokerau's borders to keep everyone safe from COVID. - We're all in this together, e tika te nga korero. We were all in this together because if one of us gets it ` The virus doesn't care what colour you are or what religion you are, what church you go to, it doesn't care how rich you are or how poor you are. You'll be a host and you will spread it into your family or into your neighbours or into your community. - Haramai tetahi ahua. Na D'Angelo Martin tera purongo. Hei muri nga whakatairanga ka korero ahau ki a Takuta Rawiri Jansen o Te Ropu Whakakaupapa Uruta. are supporting calls for a circuit-breaker Level 4 lockdown in Tamaki Makaurau to curb the spread of Delta amongst whanau Maori. Maori are now more than a quarter of infections in this outbreak, and that number is expected to rise as the government moves from elimination to suppression. Hei matapaki i tenei take i korero ahau ki te kaiarahi takirua o Te Ropu Whakakaupapa Uruta, ki a Takuta Rawiri Jansen. Following Super Saturday, it's looking like Tamaki Makaurau will reach 90% vaccination rate by November, mid-November. What's your message to Aucklanders who are keen to open up? - My message would be is that we should all be in this together. Let's work this problem until we're all safe, and then we should open up. And the reason why we don't want to do it too early is because we would all suffer the consequences from that. I'm deeply concerned about what the consequences would be for Maori communities if we don't have enough protection. But Pakeha communities should also be worried that we get this done right. It's a treaty issue. It's an equity issue, but also it's a health system issue, and we're all going to be in harm's way if our hospital systems can't get ordinary business done. - Being Aotearoa at the bottom of the world and being so remote, we've really had the luxury of being able to watch the rest of the world go through COVID. Are we, Aotearoa, now at that critical tipping point? - Yes. It's a short answer, isn't it? Yes, we're at a critical moment now in terms of COVID in Aotearoa. For me, personally, I remember that last year, Ngati Raukawa, we lost the Te Hiko brothers. That... That's... It's pretty traumatic, that, you know, young men, 55 and 60, who were really important to us in terms of tribal knowledge and the work that they were doing. It would be a tragedy to see that happen again or happen on a wider scale. And I'm deeply concerned that we may have a catastrophe coming soon. - And because of our high unvaccinated rates within Maori, will it be us? - It will be us. We're in harm's way. Our whanau, our communities, the least vaccinated communities in Aotearoa, we are... in high risk from impact of COVID, and we don't have many weeks left. - For those who are unsure about the critical point where we are, do you have any examples overseas that we can look to? - Victoria, in Australia, we're about six weeks behind them. Two or three days ago, they had ambulances stacked that they couldn't unload in their hospitals. We are in grave danger of being in that situation. Think about Fiji, our near neighbour, where their hospital system has been overwhelmed for a few months. Anybody else who wants to look further back, you can look at New York when they had bodies stacked in refrigerator trucks on the streets of New York. You can look to Italy where, you know, it first broke out internationally, and their health system collapsed for quite a period of time. So those are kind of,... you know, very tragic outcomes from the outbreaks that have been around the world. I'm really keen that people hold the line, do the work to avoid those kinds of catastrophic outcomes. - And so what you're saying is if we do do the sharp, hard lockdown, could we avoid that? - We can avoid the worst parts of the COVID outbreak. We can avoid it by being highly vaccinated. So a short, sharp lockdown will be part of that, and we can do it now in anticipation of protecting ourselves well, or we can do it later because the outbreak gets away on us and our health system is broken. If those are the two choices that we face, for going back into Alert Level 4, I think that everybody should just take a moment and breathe and realise that saving lives, saving Maori lives, is a really good contribution for us all to be involved in. - You know, if we do reach 90% even just with the 10% of eligible Aucklanders that haven't vaccinated, what kind of impact would that have on the ICUs, on our health system? - Yeah, that's right. So if our ICU beds are not available for the work that they do now, which is about heart attacks and sometimes strokes, or sometimes somebody who's got cancer or a car crash, somebody who's having, you know, a rough run after surgery, cos that's what our ICUs do now. If our ICUs are filled up with COVID patients, they're not available to do the other work. And that's a really important problem for all of us, especially given that we can all be part of the solution. - You've been working with the hard-to-reach-to pockets of our society. Can you talk to us a bit about the work that you've been doing there? - Yeah, sure. So, actually, I've been kind of working in that space since March. I went down to the ports at 6 in the morning to talk to port workers. I've been to MIQ and, you know, their workers and airport security and airport border staff. And the ports was really interesting because there were some vaccine-resistant people. Most people were really OK about vaccines, but actually the trust issue that was down there was about port workers really resisting the bosses. And so the context of that goes back in to the deaths that have been on the port. They really didn't want to trust the bosses, and so that's kind of, you know, made me really understand that actually trust is a really big part of it. And so our people have had years of a health system that hasn't looked after us well. So the trust levels are not very high, but we can do some work. We need to become trustworthy. And one of the ways of doing that is making ourselves available and having conversations with people about COVID, conversations about the vaccine, letting them ask their questions and letting them get some answers and giving them time for all of that. And so recently, I've been doing some work with some of the gangs. They asked. They came to me and said, 'Could you do this? You know, come meet with the... our crew.' And so I said yes, and that's been going really well, I gotta say. Really, really good questions. They test everything that I've got to say, and they consider it. You know, it's really good work, I think. - So when you're with some of these groups, like the Mongrel Mob, are they really resistant to vaccinations? What are some of the things they want to know? - Some of them wanted to ask about ` how did this vaccine get developed so quickly? Some of them want to ask about side effects or risks, you know, and how many deaths after the vaccine has been delivered. Some of them wanted to ask about, 'I've got this medical condition. Should I get vaccinated?' Some of them want to ask the question, says, 'Oh, I'm on these medicines. 'Is there going to be an interaction?' You know, 'I've got epilepsy. I'm on these medicines,' or 'I've got a white cell deficiency. I'm really at risk. What should I do?' You know, so I think really predictable, but a huge variety of questions. But as I finished, there were people lining up to get vaccinated. There was a whole bunch of people who said, 'All right, I'll take a test.' And so that all of that felt really good. I think, actually, it felt like there was a momentum shift towards getting vaccinated, and that was, you know, really good. - Tena koe e te tungane. Tena koutou katoa O Te Ropu Whakakaupapa Uruta. Kia ora. - Kia ora. Nga mihi. - Ko Takuta Rawiri Jansen tera. Kua hikina Te Hui e hoa ma. Noho ora mai ra. Captions by Michaela Cornelius and Sally Harper Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 - ALL: He mea tautoko na Te Mangai Paho. - The Hui is made with support from New Zealand On Air.