1.  What were the objectives of the MCCF?

Phase 1 – Rapid Vaccine Acceleration: Expanding and/or establishing contracts with existing and new providers and partners to achieve Māori vaccination uplift, with a focus on driving vaccination demand.  

Phase 2 – Whānau, iwi and community resilience: Investing in Māori-led, community-designed preparedness initiatives for COVID-19 responses as the regionally led response work further developed.

Phase 3 – Māori Omicron Response Funding: This enabled communities (particularly iwi) to mobilise community-based approaches to support at risk whanau to access available health and welfare, working alongside other government approaches.  Funding supported organisations that were not health providers, or outside the coverage of Whānau Ora Commissioning Agencies, to provide for their own whānau, with an increasing focus on iwi-led activities.

2.  How was the $130 million fund allocated?

The Fund received $130 million for kaitono initiatives between October 2021 and 30 June 2022. $70.58 million of this supported rapid vaccination activities, $39.42 million helped build resilience of vulnerable Māori communities and $20.39 million helped hapori Māori to manage the impact of COVID-19.

3.  What difference did the fund make to vaccination rates?

Since the fund was established, the Māori first dose vaccination rate increased from 69% to 91% and the second dose rate from 49% to 88%.

4.  What kinds of activities has the fund supported?

• Māori led planning for home isolation
• Supporting capability of iwi, hapū and Māori organisations
• Communications and connections
• Support for hapori Māori to operate under the COVID-19 Protection Framework
• Vaccination support
• Urgent community needs that fall between existing services.

5.  How was it determined which organisations received funding?

To rapidly accelerate vaccination take-up Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Arawhiti and the Ministry of Health provided funding directly to key Māori, iwi and community organisations, including those with existing funding agreements. This approach reflected the time sensitive nature for the Phase 1, with funding treated as an emergency response with a focus on a rapid uplift in vaccinations.

Complementing the vaccination roll-out led by the Ministry of Health, funding groups included:

• Whānau Ora providers and their networks, Māori health providers and other groups already engaged to support vaccination uplift
• iwi and hapū groups including associated health and social service providers
• other regional and Māori community providers.

6.  How is the success of the funding being measured?

The primary goal of the rapid vaccination phase of the MCCF was to quickly get funding into the community to drive vaccination demand from Māori.  Within three weeks of the MCCF commencing, Ministers had approved $48 million of initiatives across 60 contracted providers. To ensure targeting to highest need, Te Puni Kōkiri delivered funding to the most vulnerable 216 Māori communities.

Te Puni Kōkiri has appointed an independent kaupapa Māori provider to review the MCCF, including the lessons learnt. This will be used to shape future government policy advice, including how ‘by Māori for Māori’ solutions can achieve better outcomes and value for government initiatives.

7.  How many organisations received funding?

More than 250 kaitono throughout the motu, spread across 214 proposals received funding through the MCCF.

8.  How much of the fund is left to distribute?

The Fund is now fully expended, closing on 30 June.

9.  How much of the fund was used for organisational and operational costs?

Of the initial $120 million, $118.5 million was for direct funding to providers and $1.01 million invested into Karawhiua to leverage a trusted brand and communications platform many MCCF providers used to promote their rapid vaccination activities.  The balance has been used to meet the costs incurred by Te Puni Kōkiri and Te Arawhiti in the administration of the fund, as well as funding an independent evaluation at fund closure.