8. Question No. 8—Health (Māori Health)TĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health)Question No. 8—Health (Māori Health)8. TĀMATI COFFEY (Labour) to the Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health): What recent announcement has he made about supporting the acceleration of Māori vaccination rates and supporting Māori communities to prepare for the implementation of the new COVID-19 Protection Framework?Hon Member: He said it was Māori's fault.Hon Member: What was that?Hon Member: He said it was Māori's fault. He was on TV saying it.Hon PEENI HENARE (Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health)): Is that another supplementary? Thank you Mr Speaker. Alongside the Minister for—SPEAKER: Order! Order! It's pretty hard to get a valid interjection before a member starts an answer.Hon Member: But I did.SPEAKER: Well I'm not sure that the member did at all and he's testing me.Hon PEENI HENARE: Thank you Mr Speaker. Alongside the Minister for Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis and the Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson we announced a further $120 million to establish a Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund that supports Māori iwi and community organisations and providers to accelerate their responses and plans and to build resilience ahead of the planned shift to the new COVID-19 Protection Framework across two phases. Phase one will look to accelerate vaccine uptake amongst Māori in a very targeted way and phase two will look to build whānau and community resilience and we expect to do this alongside iwi hapū whānau and communities.Tāmati Coffey: How does this funding announcement align with the new COVID-19 Protection Framework?Hon PEENI HENARE: The introduction of the Government's new COVID-19 Protection Framework will increasingly rely on locally led responses to COVID-19 events. Māori COVID-19 vaccination rates need to increase within each DHB as we look to reach 90 percent coverage. Within this context additional resources are needed to put extra efforts and incentives to our current approaches led by our Māori leaders providers and community groups. As we've travelled across the country and my colleagues have heard firsthand experience from our communities it is important that these extra funds go towards the COVID-19 efforts. Phase two of the Māori Communities COVID-19 Fund will support the efforts to increase Māori vaccination rates and empower Māori to prepare for and lead an effective and safe transition. The timing of this announcement is also important because as we have seen through the COVID-19 lockdowns across 2020 and 2021 Māori whānau and communities often also have compromised resilience due to enduring economic hardships.Tāmati Coffey: How can iwi Māori providers and Māori communities access this funding?Hon PEENI HENARE: Access to funding for phase one is now open from today to the end of the year. The fund targets Māori and iwi community organisations and we expect groups already engaged in vaccination mobilisation and outreach activities through Te Puni Kōkiri the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Te Arawhiti will be interested in accessing funding to maintain and build momentum and we will work with them in the first instance. However we will also look to work with other groups with funding proposals. Information on how to access the fund will be available on the Te Puni Kōkiri website Te Arawhiti website and the MoH website. Access to funding for phase two is expected to be available in November 2021. This fund will support Māori- iwi- and hapū-led communities to respond to the new COVID-19 Protection Framework which in some cases will involve adapting and implementing existing pandemic response plans and resilience planning and more information on how to access this fund will become available before November 2021.