As New Zealand celebrated the national Waitangi Day online, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged her countrypeople to remain united in the fight against COVID-19

While New Zealand had tackled the spread of the coronavirus well enough, a spurt of omicron driven infections pushed commemorations online and saw the PM double down on stressing the importance of vaccination for all. 

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In a pre-recorded speech, Ardern said, “We all have a duty to do everything we can to protect our communities with all the tools that science and medicine have given us”, as per Reuters. She further added, “Togetherness is something we have shown throughout the last few years. I know it hasn’t always been easy … But together we have, and we continue to, overcome”.

Currently, the country’s health ministry data shows that 93% of the population eligible for vaccines, above the age of 12, have received the necessary doses. Further, 49% of eligible adults have gotten the boosters as well. Despite such steps, the number of omicron cases is on the rise in New Zealand. 

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The country already went into the red setting – which is not a lockdown but has its own sets of rules and restrictions. The recent omicron driven wave of infections also forced Ardern to put off her wedding. Ardern had recently been self-isolating after coming in contact with a person who’d been exposed to the coronavirus. 

Waitangi Day is celebrated to commemorate the day when indigenous Maori chiefs signed a treaty with representatives of the British empire. Since then, the Maoris have complained of not being adequately represented by the government. 

Part of Ardern’s Sunday message also addressed this situation, with the PM saying, “We have an obligation to make sure everyone has access to the healthcare they need, and that you don’t die younger than everyone else in New Zealand because you are Maori”.