COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand began on 20 February 2021, and will continue throughout the pandemic with the goal of vaccinating all willing New Zealanders aged 5 or older. Those aged 5 to 11 require a parent, caregiver or legal guardian accompany them to their appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. As of 1 September, anyone in New Zealand, regardless of their immigration status, is eligible to be vaccinated.
Vaccine tracker
The Ministry of Health releases vaccine numbers almost daily. There are no planned vaccination statistics from 30 August onwards. The increased vaccination demand caused by the August 2021 outbreak means the plans collected earlier do not provide a good comparator to actual vaccination numbers. The following graphs are as of 11:59PM on 7 December 2021 NZDT.
Daily vaccinations chart of New Zealand
Cumulative vaccinations in New Zealand
Percentage of eligible population fully vaccinated by ethnicity
Planned vs received vs actual vaccination numbers
Vaccine approval The New Zealand Government's primary vaccine, and booster vaccines, is the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (and for children, Pfizer pediatric). The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is also approved for ages 12 and over (primary dose), or 18 and over (for a booster). The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was available for anyone aged 18 years and older from November 2021 until September 2022.
Currently, four vaccines have been approved by Government Regulator Medsafe; Pfizer–BioNTech, Novavax, Janssen, and Oxford–AstraZeneca. They are approved under section 23 of the Medicines Act 1981, with conditions.
Vaccine status + Vaccine name Approval progress Quantity Doses required Vaccine approved Began administering Pfizer–BioNTech 10 million 2 Janssen 5 million 1 Oxford–AstraZeneca 7.6 million 2 Novavax 10.72 million 2
Vaccines in trial stage + Vaccine Type (technology) Phase I Phase II Phase III No. of participants in clinical trialReCOVSubunit 160CoV2-OGEN1Subunit 45ValnevaInactivated 300
Vaccine roll out plan + COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan Order Priority group Number eligible (Approximated) Doses administered as of 11:59 pm 26 October 2021MoH has stopped updating group numbers because anybody who is eligible to get vaccinated can get vaccinated Status Group 1 1a Border/MIQ workforce15,000Dose 1: 66,767Dose 2: 65,205In progress 1b Families and household contacts40,000 Group 2 2a Frontline healthcare workers (non-border) who could be exposed to COVID-19 while providing care 57,000 Dose 1: 661,231Dose 2: 621,689 In progress 2b Frontline healthcare workers who may expose vulnerable people to COVID-19183,000 At-risk people living in settings with a high risk of transmission or exposure to COVID-19 including:
older people and people with relevant health conditions in the Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) district people in long-term residential care where a high proportion of residents are at risk of severe health outcomes if they contract COVID-19 (such as aged residential care); and older people living in a whānau environment and those they live with, as they face a similar risk to those in aged residential care. This group will be supported by Māori and Pacific providers, and an initial allocation of 40,000 courses will be provided to Māori and Pacific providers to distribute.234,000 Group 3 3a People aged 75+ 317,000 Dose 1: 793,481Dose 2: 746,741 In progress 3b People aged 65+432,000 3c People with underlying health conditions or disabilities730,000 Group 4 4 People aged 60 and over 2,000,000 Dose 1: 2,136,491Dose 2: 1,585,195 In progress People aged 55 and over People aged 50 and over People aged 40 and over People aged 30 and over People aged 12 and over Other groups – New Zealand Olympic Team 220 Dose 1: 220Dose 2: 220 Completed– New Zealand Paralympic Team29Dose 1: 29Dose 2: 29 Completed– Special forces in Operation KōkakoMilitary evacuation of New Zealand Nationals, their families and visa holders from Afghanistan80Dose 1: 80Dose 2: 80 Completed The following reasons for overseas travel are eligible to be considered for an early vaccine: access critical medical care that is not available in New Zealand for yourself or your dependent to visit an immediate family member who is dying to provide critical care and protection for a dependent e.g., your child. to protect the safety and security of New Zealand's right to govern itself for Government-approved humanitarian efforts as part of New Zealand's commitments to foreign aid, international disaster responses, or supporting Pacific and Realm countries' recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to participate in major international events where travel is necessary to represent New Zealand for nationally significant trade negotiations.
History Unofficial initiatives In late August 2020, Stuff reported that several businessmen and former politicians (including former National MP Ross Meurant and former National Party and ACT party leader Don Brash) had sought to import Russia's insufficiently tested Gam-COVID-Vac (also known as Sputnik V) vaccine into New Zealand. They had established a company called Covax-NZR Limited and filed paperwork through the Russian Embassy to establish supply and distribution arrangements to import the vaccine. Ross Meurant is the only director and shareholder of the company. University of Auckland vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris warned that using untested vaccines could hurt global efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19.
On 17 August 2021, the French biotech company Valneva began trialling their COVID-19 vaccine in coordination with Pharma Sols. The company was looking for 300 adults in New Zealand aged 56 years or older, have not contracted COVID-19 or received a COVID-19 vaccine. The New Zealand clinical trial will take place at eight Pacific Research Network sites across the country. According to the New Zealand trial's lead coordinating investigator and Southern Clinical Trials Christchurch director Dr Simon Carson, New Zealand was chosen due to the country's lower case numbers and slower vaccine rate.
Official procurement efforts On 12 October 2020, the New Zealand Government signed an agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech to buy 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is enough for 750,000 people. The COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy Task Force also entered into negotiations with other pharmaceutical companies to provide vaccines. In addition, the Government established a $66.3 million fund to support a COVID-19 immunisation programme as soon as the vaccine is ready.
On 17 December, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the New Zealand Government had purchased two more vaccines for New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau and its Pacific partners Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu from the pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Novavax. The Government had purchased 7.6 million doses (enough for 3.8 million people) from AstraZeneca and 10.72 million doses (enough for 5.36 million people) from Novavax. Both vaccines require two doses to be administered. Both vaccines will be free for New Zealanders. The Government had already purchased 750,000 courses from Pfizer/BioNTech and 5 million from Janssen Pharmaceutica.
On 3 February 2021, Ardern provisionally approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in New Zealand. The initial batches of the vaccine are scheduled to arrive in late March 2021, with frontline workers and the vulnerable given priority. By 10 February, the Government had formally authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in New Zealand. The vaccine will be limited to people aged 16 years and over. By 8 March, the New Zealand Government had secured an additional 8.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
On 4 November, the US pharmaceutical company Novavax applied for provisional approval from Medsafe to use its COVID-19 vaccine in New Zealand.
On 10 November, the Government announced that the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would be made available from late November 2021 for a small number of people aged 18 or over who are medically unable to get the Pfizer vaccine.
Booster shots In early August 2021, Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, confirmed that the Ministry of Health was negotiating with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to acquire booster vaccines to address possible waning immunity.
Following the August 2021 Delta outbreak, the opposition National Party COVID-19 spokesperson Chris Bishop called on the Government to purchase Pfizer booster shots urgently. This call clashed with the World Health Organizations' advice that there was insufficient evidence they were needed and that wealthy countries buying up vaccine stocks would make it harder for poorer countries to acquire their first doses. On 25 August 2021, a National Party social media post claiming that excess vaccine stocks are not boosters was criticised for inaccuracy by the scientists Helen Petousis-Harris and Alison Campbell.
Vaccine diplomacy On 16 April 2021, Jacinda Ardern announced that New Zealand would donate 1.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses through an international vaccine sharing programme. This quantity will be enough to vaccinate 800,000 people, many of whom will be health workers and vulnerable people in the Pacific Islands. During the announcement, Ardern also advocated a "team of 7.8 billion," based on the Government's "team of 5 million" rhetoric.
On 9 September 2021, Prime Minister Ardern confirmed that New Zealand had purchased 250,000 extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Spain as part of a deal with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The first shipment is due to arrive on 10 September. In addition, Ardern confirmed that New Zealand would receive 1.8 million Pfizer doses throughout the month of September.
On 12 September 2021, Ardern confirmed that New Zealand had purchased 500,000 Pfizer doses from Denmark as part of a deal with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. The first shipment arrived in the middle of the following week.
On 31 March 2022, the Fijian Government accepted an offer from New Zealand to supply 50,000 doses of the Pfizer pediatric vaccine to Fiji's COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Rollout efforts
February 2021 On 20 February, 100 nurses became the first people in New Zealand to receive the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Healthcare workers, essential workers and those most at risk will be vaccinated in the second quarter of the year. The general population will be vaccinated in the second half of the year.
March 2021 On 1 March, 28 port workers at Tauranga received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
On 10 March, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out plan using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
On 26 March, the Canterbury District Health Board was forced to take its COVID-19 vaccination booking system offline after a member of the public discovered a security vulnerability that exposed details of 716 people who had registered to use it. The person who found the vulnerability labelled the developer incompetent. To date the booking system has not been brought back online.
On 29 March, the Hawke's Bay District Health Board criticised the Health Ministry for flaws and delays in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, claiming it had created a space for anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theories to take root.
April 2021 On 7 April, the Ministry of Health reported that the total number of vaccinations reached 90,286, of which 19,273 were second doses.
On 12 April, Ardern confirmed that 86% of frontline workers have received at least one COVID vaccination; accounting for 3,472 out of 4,010 workers.
On 14 April, the total number of vaccinations reached 135,585, of which 30,194 were second doses.