Tamati Coffey Labour List MP

Along with securing a strong recovery, the government's top priority remains protecting the country from Covid-19. That means keeping the virus out of our communities, and rolling out safe, effective and free vaccines to whanau right across Aotearoa.

The Prime Minister has shared more information about the next phase in our vaccine roll-out, and from the end of July we'll start receiving the bulk of our vaccine doses and can broaden our roll-out to the wider population.

This will be done in age groups, as is common overseas. It's an approach that is easy to understand and acknowledges the increasing risk Covid-19 poses to people as they age.

New Zealanders will be offered vaccines in stages: people aged 60-plus from July 28, 55-plus from August 11, 45-plus from mid-to-late August, 35-plus from mid-to-late September, and everyone else from October.

This is the biggest vaccination campaign New Zealand has ever run, and it is tracking well. There's a huge amount of work going on to get everything lined up for the second-half of the year.

People here in the Waiariki can expect to be offered vaccines by the year's end. We're securing our recovery and there is plenty to look forward to. Be a doer, karawhiua!