Message from the Ministry of Health

A number of parents and whānau are asking about who should give consent for their 12 to 15-years-olds to be vaccinated.

Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect each of us and our whānau. The more of us who are vaccinated in our community, the greater our immunity.

The Government approved a vaccine to immunise and protect 12 to 15-year-olds. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been approved by our Medsafe experts. This vaccine is also used for 12 to 15-year-olds in other countries such as Canada, USA, Europe and Japan.

 
Here is a video you can watch to explain how the vaccine works.

Many parents and whānau would like to provide informed consent on behalf of their young person. The easiest way to do this is for a parent or caregiver to be present during vaccination and provide verbal consent. You can book your young person in for vaccination at the same time as your vaccination or accompany them to their appointment.

You can book through your GP or through vaccination centres:

• Book online through Book My Vaccine
• For a group booking, call the COVID Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26 (8am–8pm, seven days a week).