Tēnā koutou te whānau whānui o Hokonui Rūnanga

During these strange and worrying times we hope you are all well.

We have a lot of information on our website to help you through these uncertain times. Take the time to look through our COVID-19 section.

Alert Level changes

From Thursday 8 October 2020 all of Aotearoa is at Alert Level 1.

COVID-19 Alert Level details have been updated by the Government - based on the latest scientific knowledge and information about effective control of the virus. Download the PDF here.

Find out about:

• The Ministry of Health’s NZ COVID Tracer App
• COVID-19 testing

Free phone for questions about medicines

Run by Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa – the Māori Pharmacists Association (MPA) - this is a free phoneline for kaumātua and whānau.

Call 0800 664 688 with questions about your medicines and a Māori pharmacist will call you back within 24 hours.

Pātai (questions) may be things such as:

• How do I use my medicine?
• What is my medicine for?
• What are the common side effects and how can these be managed?
• Should I get the flu vaccine?
• Will my normal medicines be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

This is not an urgent service. Continue to call 111 in an emergency, or your normal doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116) if you are wanting prompt medical advice.

Free phone for assessment and COVID-19 testing

WellSouth Primary Health Network have a free phone number - 0800 VIRUS19 (0800 847 8719)

Not sure if you need to get tested? Ring 0800 VIRUS19 and you’ll be assessed over the phone.

If needed, you’ll go on to be tested at a Community Based Assessment Centre (CBAC), your own general practice or a designated practice, whichever is most appropriate and convenient.

Symptoms:

Covid-19 Case Definition Criteria: (As of 14 April):

• Primary COVID-19 symptoms are a fever, sore throat, dry cough and/or trouble breathing.
• Other symptoms may include headache, body aches, nausea/diarrhoea, irritability/confusion not explained by a medical condition.

Latest data on new cases

See the latest case numbers on the Southern Health website.

Community support

The Government has launched a WhatsApp channel for people to find information about COVID-19.

See also the Government’s COVID19 website for:

• Resources for whānau
• Resources for iwi

• Tikanga Māori and gatherings

Need help with your finances?

Good Shepherd NZ has repurposed their No Interest Loans (NILS) to provide quick financial relief for people impacted by COVID-19.

Find out more about No Interest Loans.

Keep warm this winter

Find out if you are eligible for the Winter Energy Payment - an extra payment to help with the cost of heating your home over the winter months.

If you are eligible - you don’t need to apply - you’ll get it automatically.

Flu vaccination

Although the influenza vaccination won’t protect whānau from COVID-19, it will help protect against a serious disease that kills hundreds of New Zealanders every winter.

Find out if you’re eligible for a free flu vaccination.

Keep informed

See our Frequently Asked Questions page for commonly asked questions.

Learn more about the COVID-19 virus and why it’s so important to wash our hands and keep surfaces clean.

On-going Communication

We will do our best to keep you informed of developments from the Rūnanga perspective.

Our aim will be to send brief updates (as we get them) several times a week. Remember the Rūnanga Facebook page is also a source of news.

If you have changed address or phone, please let the Office know so we can update our records.