The Bay of Plenty's Pasifika community has risen to the call to protect their aiga (family) and surpassed the 90 per cent fully vaccinated milestone.

Ninety-one per cent of Pacific Island residents in the district are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

More than 95 per cent have received at least one dose.

'This milestone is owed to the Pacific health providers in the Bay of Plenty and their tireless work to protect Pasifika families,” says Bay of Plenty DHB chief executive officer Pete Chandler.

'Thank you, AvaNiu Pasifika and Pacific Island Community (Tauranga) Trust.”

AvaNiu Pasifika's managing director and clinical & community services lead Sameli Tongalea says, 'we trusted that our families would do the right thing for themselves and their community”.

'Huge credit to the ‘pule' of those families who supported our team and worked with us,” adds Tongalea.

The New Zealand Government will implement a new ‘traffic light system', the Covid-19 Protection Framework, once the target of 90 per cent fully vaccinated residents is reached in all district health boards.

This system will replace the alert level system and lockdowns.

'Reaching the 90 per cent milestone offers our community the freedom to get back to doing the things that are important to us,” says Bay of Plenty DHB chairperson Sharon Shea.

'The mahi of our Pasifika providers protects our community and brings us together – to visit whānau, to enjoy Christmas, to travel, and to live without worry or fear.”

The milestone means the community is offered the full protection of the vaccine which significantly reduces a person's risk of getting severely sick or dying from Covid-19, according to the Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora.

Nearly 7500 doses have been administered to Pacific peoples in the district.

More than 180,000 residents in the district have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and nearly 155,000 residents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

More than 55,000 doses have been given to Māori residents in the district, with more than 30,000 Māori having received at least one dose.

Walk-in Covid-19 vaccinations are available throughout the district and can be found at www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19-vaccination/bay-of-plenty

The Covid-19 vaccine is available to everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand aged 12 and older. People can visit BookMyVaccine.nz or call 0800 28 29 26 to book.

More information about the vaccine can be found at covid19.govt.nz/vaccine.