Whanganui River Valley readies for Covid-19 vaccine rollout

The Covid-19 vaccination campaign is working its way up one of the most remote reaches of the North Island. The settlements of the Whanganui River Valley are isolated, and mostly inhabited by kuia and kaumatua. Last year, local Iwi rapidly sealed them off as a protection measure from Covid-19, but finally the Pfizer vaccine is set to be rolled out in the coming weeks. The first settlement to be visited was Kaiwhaiki. Jamie Tahana caught up with the chair of Kaiwhaiki Marae, Kahurangi Simon, who said that they had to act fast.