Te Hau Āwhiowhio ō Otangarei Trust co-founder Martin Kaipo says gang leaders getting vaccinated for Covid-19 is a "massive" deal and he hopes it encourages other members to get their jabs too.
Kaipo's comments come after Black Power New Zealand president Mark Pitman on Saturday rolled up his sleeve to get a Covid-19 jab.
Mark Pitman says he wants to set an example for the thousands of people in the Black Power whānau around the country.
"That is massive to have leaders step forward, force members to look at that because he's setting the trend and I think that's where they need to look at - supporting those leaders to actually encourage their members and their whānau," Kaipo told Breakfast.
"I think you've got to have those people who've been in that environment, who understand them, who can actually talk their language because not anyone can walk into that environment and have those conversations.
"They respect experience, they respect history and they respect understanding, and those who come from outside that cycle will not understand how to communicate in a way that they do. Sometimes you can be abrupt but sometimes you've got to work on those things that they value most of all and at this stage it's family."
There's been a lot of talk about getting vulnerable communities vaccinated, with pressure on gang members to get on board.
But Kaipo, from Whangārei, said there was anxiety for some about the vaccine ingredients and propaganda in society.
"All that is causing confusion and it makes it harder for those trying to encourage the benefits of the vaccine," he said.
"We have to go to them and have those conversations around life itself, around the values of family, we need to touch on all those things that mean as a priority for them - children, their partners and the future."
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