Publication date: 26 May 2022
In May 2021, the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) provided the Ministry of Health with six recommendations to support preparations for the nationwide roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine. In October 2021 the OAG asked the Ministry about progress implementing the recommendations and what actions had been taken to support access to vaccination for Māori, Pacific, disabled people and harder-to-reach communities.
This report is the Ministry’s response to the OAG. It describes the progress of the vaccine programme from May 2021 to November 2021.
Since the report was written in November 2021, some programme functions and associated groups are no-longer in place or have changed. The programme has continued to evolve to deliver new phases of the roll-out, like paediatric doses for children aged 5-11, and create links with other immunisations.
The Ministry has valued the OAG’s recommendations and ongoing review. The Ministry’s report should be read alongside the findings of the Office of the Auditor-General released on 10 March 2022.