Stark differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates between Māori and non-Māori, research finds

A new study analyzing COVID-19 vaccine uptake has found markedly lower vaccination rates among Māori, which researchers link to existing inequities in health care access. The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, looked at vaccination rates from December 2020 to May 2023, finding 28.4% of Māori were unvaccinated during this period, compared with 14.7% of non-Māori.