21 May 2021

Covid-19 vaccine: 'We're being really careful in the rollout' - Hipkins

3:18 pm on 21 May 2021

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says he expects that confidence in the vaccine will continue to develop and grow, as more New Zealanders indicate more interest in getting the jab.

Hipkins has spoken to media after the Ministry of Health revealed its latest survey, done last month, showed 77 percent of people are likely to get the vaccine, up 8 percent from the March results.

Watch the latest media conference here:

He said the results were very encouraging.

"Major information campaigns, solid progress in the vaccine rollout and strong role models in each community are making a real difference.

"Given the rollout has been underway for three months, it is fantastic to already see a steady decline in those who say they won't get a vaccine, including in those communities considered high-risk."

Hipkins said the government was being really careful to make sure everything in the rollout is safe, and this was paying off.

"This improvement shows that while mis- and dis-information campaigns remain a concern for the government, people are getting access to good and accurate information."

"More people are now saying: 'yep, we're keen to get the vaccine'.

"We've been at pains to make sure we're following all the right processes, to make sure we're doing it safely."

He said it was important to prepare for all the different scenarios around when the vaccine might arrive and what to expect in July.

Hipkins said a big piece of the puzzle was over what was happening with under-16s, and there was still a question mark about under-12s.

"We'll continue to work on it, but we don't have that nailed down yet."

He said not all people who were hesitant were against the vaccine, they just did not see the need for it, but that was likely to change when New Zealand begins to open up again.

The Ministry of Health said there had been a huge increase in confidence from Pacific people, who have jumped from 59 percent to 79 percent.

About 8 percent of all people say they are opposed to getting the vaccine.

The government says its vaccination programme has now hit the half a million mark.

The latest acceptance rates:

  • Overall: 77 percent, up from 69 percent, or 3,147,200 out of 4,082,500 New Zealanders 16 and over
  • 7 percent of these people have had one or two doses
  • Māori: 71 percent, up from 64 percent in March
  • Pasifika: 79 percent, up from 59 percent in March
  • Over 65s are the most likely to get vaccinated

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs