New Zealand buys enough COVID vaccine for its Pacific Islander neighbors

The New Zealand government has announced it will be supporting its Pacific neighbors by helping ensure they have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines through the coming months.

“Pacific countries have worked hard to keep COVID-19 out, or to stamp it out, and New Zealand has been committed to supporting them in this,” Foreign Affairs Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement. “But their success has been hard-won. A safe and effective vaccine will be key to the region’s economic and social recovery.”

Nanaia Mahuta confirmed NZD $75 million ($53 million) of Official Development Assistance had been earmarked to support Pacific and global vaccine access and roll-out.

“New Zealand is pursuing a portfolio of potential COVID-19 vaccines to ensure we have flexibility and choice in the fast-moving global marketplace. We want to make sure Pacific countries can also access suitable options, and have the support they need to run successful immunisation campaigns.”

Associate Foreign Affairs Minister Aupito William Sio said New Zealand’s support has to be flexible, given the uncertainties around vaccine development.

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New Zealand’s approach will be to purchase sufficient vaccines to cover the Realm of New Zealand (Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands) and its Polynesian neighbors (Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu) should their governments wish to take these up.

“We are best placed to support these countries directly because of our constitutional relationships in the Realm, and the strong links between our health systems and our close people-to-people ties across Polynesia,” Aupito William Sio said. “We will also be scaling up existing health investments to enable us to play our part in vaccine roll-out.

Included in the multi-million support package, New Zealand plans to make a further NZD $10 million ($7 million) contribution to the COVAX Facility Advance Market Commitment, which is the key multilateral mechanism that has emerged to support equitable global access. New Zealand is also ready to contribute to wider Pacific regional initiatives as they take shape.