Pacific people

The first priority group included border and managed isolation quarantine workers and their household contacts.

The second priority group are front-line health workers and people living in high-risk settings such as older people in South Auckland, people in residential care and older people particularly Māori and Pacific.

Aupito William Sio told RNZ Pacific that providers have trusted relationships with the communities they serve, and they will be able to identify and vaccinate the Pasifika elderly in their regions.

Aupito Su'a William Sio says Pacific people are an integral part of New Zealand and he wants to see them succeed in every area possible.

“What does success mean for us? It’s not just a car and the house, it’s much more than that and we have to be comfortable about that."

“We have a point of difference in how we conduct ourselves and we have to be confident and comfortable in who we are and the basis of that point of difference is our language and culture,” says Aupito.

The budget was revealed yesterday in Wellington, and Labour's spokesperson for Pacific people, Aupito Su'a William Sio, said it will increase inequality.

Aupito said that rather than tax cuts, Pacific people needed a budget that improved education, health and housing.

"The home ownership rates for Pacific are at its lowest," he said.

"The overcrowdedness that I see in my electorate and parts of South Auckland - it's just tearful."

RNZ reports New Zealand's double Olympic gold medallist shotputter, Valerie Adams, is now a Dame.

A world-renowned shot putter, Dame Valerie has won four World Championship gold medals, two Olympic gold medals, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, and three World Indoor Championship gold medals.

She is only the second New Zealand Dame to be recognised for sport since Susan Devoy in 1998 and says she hopes her New Year's honours recognition inspires more Pacific women to chase their dreams.