A Bay of Plenty MP has slammed the government's handling of the region's measles vaccine campaign after 683 people received the vaccine out of a targeted total of 8600.

The campaign has reached 7.9 per cent of the Bay of Plenty's eligible population of 15 to 30-year-olds in the two years between July 2020 and the end of June 2022.

National Party MP Todd Muller has called the figures 'shambolic”, and claims the drive was at risk of failing before it had started.

The plan was hampered when the government was forced to destroy $8 million worth of expired measles vaccine due to poor uptake.

'This botch up was part of a failed nationwide campaign at a cost of $26 million,” says Muller.

'The campaign was destined to fail from the get-go.

'Labour has had two years to reach its target in the region, but has only managed to vaccinate 683. Of course, Labour is blaming Covid-19.”

Of the 683 that did receive the vaccine, only 188 were Māori.

Muller also took aim at Labour Health Minister Andrew Little, calling his efforts an 'appalling failure to deliver”.

'What it comes down to is their incompetence at getting anything done,” he says.

'Unfortunately, as a result of that incompetence, our communities are left at risk and more stress is placed on our already exhausted health system.”

The figures follow a report last month that outlined how one in five people are waiting for more than six hours to be seen at the emergency departments of both Tauranga and Whakatāne hospitals.

National Party health spokesperson Shane Reti has made a complaint to the auditor-general and asked for an investigation into the measles catch up campaign.

Earlier this month, Reti himself said Little 'can't deliver anything”.

'He has failed to deliver a health workforce, failed New Zealanders who are forced to wait longer in every aspect of the health sector – from surgical wait lists to the emergency room – and now he has failed to deliver a measles vaccine program.”

National Party spokesperson for Health, Shane Reti. Photo: Kevin Stent/Stuff.

During the 2019 measles outbreak in New Zealand, over 2000 people caught the disease and 700 were hospitalised.

Country-wide, figures show only around seven per cent of the government's 300,000 target received the jab between July 2020 and June 2022.

According to the latest data, 23,500 people had received the vaccination within the targeted age group.

In response, Little hit back at suggestions that the numbers land squarely at Labour's door, and claimed Covid-19 had affected similar programmes worldwide, not just in New Zealand.

'The pandemic has affected the health programmes of every country in the world,” he said. 'It's not ideal, but that's what pandemics do. We had to prioritise what we do, and getting people protected against Covid-19 was what was most important.

'The MMR vaccination programme was paused on medical advice in February last year because it wasn't known whether it was safe to have it and the Covid vaccination at the same time. With more information available, we now know that it is.”

Little says childhood vaccination rates were already falling before the Covid-19 pandemic, referring to a 'worldwide trend” that he called 'worrying”.

Hon Andrew Little is currently the Minister of Health. Photo: Mark Taylor/Stuff.

But he also pointed to previous National Party administrations that he claimed 'did nothing” to tackle the issue.

'In 2014 and 2017, the government of the day was told there was a problem with vaccination rates for Māori and did nothing,” says Little.

'This government is doing something, but that campaign has been interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

With the Covid vaccination programme now largely completed, Little says Labour are turning their attention to MMR and other vaccinations.

'We do need to take into account the fact that many people are feeling a bit vaccination fatigued,” he admits.

'But what we have learnt from the Covid vaccination campaign in terms of working with community groups, means we now have a much better chance of doing what needs to be done.”

Health New Zealand Bay of Plenty also pointed to the significance of the Covid-19 pandemic and the redeployment of their vaccination teams as contributing factors.

'That has had a major impact on the roll-out of the measles catch-up campaign for all districts, including the Bay of Plenty,” says senior responsible officer, immunisation and vaccination, Brent Gilbert-De Rios.

'The health sector's Covid-19 response has been ongoing since early 2020 and the measles catch-up campaign began in July of that year. The 2021 Covid-19 vaccination programme was New Zealand's largest ever.”

Gilbert-De Rios confirms the catch-up campaign was paused between March 2021 and November 2021 to focus on Covid-19 vaccination efforts, but remains a priority within the broader measles, mumps and rubella programme.

'Creating positive outcomes, such as vaccinations, at an early age is vital,” he said. 'We are confident we can build on the success of the Covid-19 vaccine and immunisation programme in this work to support our local communities.

'The programme continues to work with key stakeholders, including Māori and Pacific health providers, to understand and address the challenges and successes to support equitable immunisation outcomes.

'We are working closely with these providers to help lift vaccinations and build a life-long journey of immunisations. We are prioritising an increased focus on childhood immunisations with a whānau -based approach for vaccination in our communities.”

-Stuff/Dan Sheridan.