into whether Te Tiriti breached begins
Today was the first day of a special hearing into whether the Crown has breached Te Tiriti in its Covid-19 response.
The Delta outbreak has seen more than 3000 of the country's active cases being Māori. For much of the previous months, Māori accounted for the most number of daily cases, and by far the most deaths.
The Māori vaccination rate, while climbing, is still well behind the general population at only 72 percent fully vaccinated.
The application for the hearing was brought by the Māori Council, arguing that the Crown had breached its obligations of partnership and protection under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Māori Council chair Peter Fraser said an inequitable age-based vaccine rollout, followed by a rush to the traffic light system, had left Māori the worst-affected by the coronavirus.
He said a response tailored to Māori would have benefited everyone, but the government succumbed to the threat of a political backlash.
Link to article: Covid-19 response: Waitangi Tribunal hearing into whether Te Tiriti breached begins (msn.com)
