Covid-19 campaign given the boot.

A Covid-19 communications campaign titled 'Let's Give Covid-19 The Boot' was itself given the boot after the Race Relations office got wind of it today.

It was wrong on many levels.

1, They created a cartoon image of a bolding Pākehā man in his orange rugby gear kicking the rugby ball-shaped coronavirus cartoon with a Mataora, full face Māori tattoo to touch.

2, The second image featured three angry Māori coronavirus cartoon characters doing the pukana and poking out their tongues.

3, The third is a real dropkick – They create an image of a health worker in full PPE gear stabbing the Māori coronavirus character in the head with a tewhatewha (WTF).

The Covid-19 information leaflet was issued by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board and its public health arm, Toi Te Ora Tauranga, and quickly retracted.

Earlier this week, the Waikato Times had a printing meltdown when the headline on their front page feature read 'Ass Vaccination Centre Opens' when it should have read 'Mass Vaccination Centre Opens.'

This only adds fuel to the fire of miscommunication and misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines.

I'm fortunate to have received Pfizer injections, one at Manurewa Marae and the other at Tūrangawaewae Marae.

I believe the vaccine will protect my whānau and you.

I want to travel to Te Kao, Rangitukia and Rarotonga and other parts of the world when borders open and know that I will not infect people there.

I've been helping Manurewa Marae promote their marae-based Covid-19 vaccination centre since April; they have done a sterling job vaccinating more than 22,000 people so far. They've opened their doors to other marae-based providers to help them build confidence and competence.

I've seen several Covid-19 campaigns on television and online over the past few months like 'Karawhiua', and 'Ka Kite Covid' yet Māori are still hesitant, with less than 10 per cent of Māori nationwide vaccinated.

The latest Covid Campaign on our TV screens, Mānawatia a Matariki, which features Dr Rangi Matamua, is top-notch and calls on us to unite in our fight against Covid-19. But for some reason, Māori appear divided about vaccinating.

I'm pulling together a social media campaign to encourage Māori to get vaccinated. "Let's kick Covid" was one of my ideas, but the execution would have been a lot different from the one that has been booted to touch. I'm keen to hear your ideas.

I know many people are over Covid, but unfortunately, it's not going to be over any time soon. We only need to look across the ditch to see the daily increase in numbers of those infected by Covid-19 in New South Wales, reaching more than 100 community cases per day. Further across the Pacific, Covid-19 is rampant in Fiji, with more than 20,000 cases and 161 dead.

I applaud Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is steering our country through the piki and heke of this global pandemic, and our Māori ministers who have ensured our kaumātua are prioritised.

Māori can get vaccinated at a range of places, from the local mall to our marae.

They've done their part. All we need to do is ours.