Watch Vaxathon – live on Māori Television (Freeview 5; SKY 19), on maoritelevision.com and the MĀORI+ app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.
A blast from the past will air on Māori Television today, as the quintessential Kiwi telethon gets a reboot, albeit with a pandemic twist.
Coinciding with National Vaccination Day, from noon till 8 pm, the Vaxathon will go live from vaccination sites across the motu, and will be fronted by well-known celebrities, influencers and health professionals, doing their bit to boost the country's vaccination efforts.
One such celebrity and influencer is Sonny Ngatai who says the event will “definitely be a party for your eyeballs.”
“We’ll be crossing live to several regions that will be doing some awesome things during 'Super Saturday'. We’re going to Manurewa, Ōtara, Rotorua, Tauranga, and Porirua."
Ngatai says on top of highlighting the great work that Māori communities are doing to combat Covid-19, there will be an array of big prizes up for grabs, including a year's worth of Burger Fuel, Rhythm and Vines tickets, and even a car!
“There’s gonna be some awesome things happening throughout the broadcast and, of course, we will be highlighting a lot of our beautiful singers and kaiwaiata!”
Māori Television Tāhuhu Rangapū (chief executive) Shane Taurima says a new record for Māori vaccinations was set earlier this week, with more than 10,000 doses given to whānau Māori, and the Vaxathon will help push these numbers even higher.
“Māori Television plays a critical role in serving Māori communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are proud to be involved in the live broadcast of Super Saturday Vaxathon to get more Māori and other New Zealanders vaccinated.”
The Super Saturday Vaxathon is supported by the Ministry of Health, Te Māngai Pāho, Pango Productions and Discovery ANZ. It will be live on TV3, Māori Television and Hahana.
It is also receiving support from New Zealand businesses to help vaccine uptake in communities around Aotearoa.
Want to take part in Super Saturday, our National Day of Vaccination? Find your local vaccination centre here.