Māori-led initiatives had the best reach within their communities during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the inquiry has been told. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
A lack of clear communication from the government may have contributed to the spread of Covid-19 misinformation in the Māori and Pasifika communities, the Royal Commission of Inquiry has heard.
Community and health leaders for Māori and Pasifika have spoken to the inquiry into the Covid-19 response about their struggles adapting to lockdown regulations.
The third day of the week-long hearing took place in Auckland yesterday. This week's hearings are concentrating on the impact of the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland in 2021, and on vaccine mandates and safety.
Communication and information from health authorities during the lockdown was an issue, with community leaders highlighting that the language used when trying to inform their people about Covid and the vaccine was often very technical and difficult to understand.
Reverend Victor Pouesi, from the Christian Church of Samoa in Manukau, said this may have contributed to the spread of misinformation, with many fearful of Covid-19 and vaccinations.
"People were looking for alternative sources of information other than the government, and that created a lot of problems.
"Paranoia and misinformation spread faster than Covid itself."
He said their church was able to livestream a broadcast with information from the government and social services to inform their community.
Similar issues were faced by the Māori health and social services organisations that spoke to the commissioners.
Hector Kawai - a director at Te Whānau o Waipareira, a health and social service provider in West Auckland - said online misinformation hampered vaccination efforts.
"Being on the front line we had a lot of whānau who came to us who were saying: 'Oh I don't want to put that poison in my body', you know?
"They had been seeing stuff which they had got from some quote - unquote Facebook expert," he said.
Raewyn Bhana, deputy director of Whanau ora community clinics, a healthcare provider that focuses on Maori health, said this misinformation often turned into conflict.
Speaking to commissioners through an audio link, she talked about the protests at vaccination clinics.
"When we had our community, our pakeke (older adults), our kaumatua (elderly men) and kuia (elderly women) coming through it was quite fearful for them to be vaccinated when you've got protesters outside who were threatening our people who were coming through," she said.
Both parties told the commissioners that Māori-led solutions and initiatives had the best reach within their communities, often because Māori had a deep mistrust of government.
Hector Kawai said kaupapa Māori led solutions like those offered by Te Whānau o Waipareira, did well to connect with Māori during the pandemic, but their work was not always well received.
"When we first came on to be an essential service I felt there was a certain amount of institutional racism, because of this you know 'oh there's just a bunch of Māoris out in the community' and the only ones who should be delivering out vaccinations and services should be doctors and nurses, but in fact we can do these sorts of things," he said.
'People took your loved ones away'
The difficulty Pasifika families faced around funerals during lockdowns was also highlighted yesterday.
Penina Ifopo - a Samoan community leader in Manurewa - said his people struggled with government restrictions that limited how many people could attend funerals and how they were conducted.
"People took your loved ones away, put them in a house you had no idea of, they're alone in there.
"We have a spiritual connection with our loved ones and then you see the hearse taking them to be buried ... it was very traumatising," she said tearfully.
"We don't do counselling when it comes to funerals, the therapy is within us, it's our togetherness, it's both our Christian values together with our Samoan values."
Ifopo spoke of other difficulties faced in her community, particularly for households with families.
She said many parents were not prepared and did not have the adequate tools for their children to do online learning.
"A lot of families were just living on data, there's no wifi at home," she said.
"And also, you're lucky if there's a laptop, you'll find phones in every single home but no wifi and then parents just don't know what to do because they were having to be the teachers at the time."
Lack of hospitality from customers
Meanwhile, a person working in the hospitality industry at the time of the lockdowns told the inquiry into the Covid response that she dealt with intimidating behaviour from customers.
Jodie Rameka told the inquiry she felt like she was being blamed for customers needing to wear masks in her shop.
"Even having to ask them if they had a pass if they came in without a face mask, and just the reactions from a lot of the customers were very scary."
Rameka said she tried to sympathize with her customers.
"If I'm being honest, I rather them take it out on me than go and take it out on someone else," she said.
"So I just took it."
Rameka said she changed her whole career because of the pandemic.
Today the inquiry will focus on vaccine safety and will hear from advocacy groups.
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