Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare says he "expects" Te Matatini will be an event that requires a vaccination certificate to attend next year.
Te Matatini, the biennial New Zealand festival highlighting traditional Māori culture culminating in the kapa haka competition, is set to take place in Auckland next February after being rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During an interview with Breakfast about Māori vaccination rates Henare, who is also the MP for Tāmaki Makaurau, was asked if Te Matatini would require vaccination certificates to attend given the large crowds it gathers.
"My expectation is that our people will be vaccinated," Henare said.
"We've got a job to do and we're working with Te Matatini to make sure we can boost and support vaccination rates and we've got a chance to do that."
Henare is currently travelling around the country in a bid to raise Māori vaccination rates after the latest models showed that when the general population reaches 90 per cent vaccination, just 68 per cent of Māori will be vaccinated.
"Over the past week in Northland, Taranaki and today in Rotorua, the vaccine has been available on marae, sports clubs, pop-up clinics and door-to-door opportunities," he said.
"I've seen some fantastic innovation and results in communities, but we just need more of it and now we're working with a part of the community that are really hard to engage with.
"We're finding that health providers are doing their best and our job is to continue to support them to do that."
Henare said those wanting to attend Te Matatini who are yet to be vaccinated should look out for local pop-up sites if they want to attend next year's festival.
"I'd say to all the whānau who want to go to Te Matatini, get the vaccination."
Te Matatini was last held in 2019 in Wellington with Ngā Tumanako coming out on top while Tāmaki Makaurau was the winning rohe.
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