South Island DHB hits 90 percent vaxxed, others lag behind

This is how a nurse celebrates reaching 90 percent double vaccination numbers in our second largest city. 

Canterbury became the fourth DHB to hit the milestone, joining  Waitematā, Auckland and Capital and Coast. 

Bridget Leggett,  a site manager at Orchard Road vaccination site was celebrating hitting the target. 

"It feels like we've achieved a big milestone we've worked really really hard to get as many Cantabrians through our clinic as possible in the last six months." 

While people who were freshly jabbed outside were equally as happy to get over the line. 

"I guess it's really good that we've met that target, i guess it's a target the government have had in their mind for a while," one newly vaccinated person told Newshub. 

"Then we can actually go out and go to parties and things like that it'll be nice, not stuck at home so get your vaccines." 

Another win for one man in for his first dose. 

 "When your kids say hey Dad get it done for us then it's kind of an incentive to get it done to live the life and have the holidays that we want to have." 

But lagging behind in the stats, the Eastern suburb of Aranui - with just 69 percent fully vaccinated. 

Getting those numbers up is now a priority for the DHB.  

 "A huge part of our programme over the previous month has been around what other options we can have to ensure people get the advice they need and making it as accessible as possible," said Kim Sinclair-Morris // Canterbury Vaccination Programme Lead 

But over on the West Coast the race has been much slower. 

"We do have pockets of the type of people who are against vaccination and I think we have a disproportionate amount of those people here on the coast which is ya know that's just the way it is, the second thing is that there has been some complacency and we haven't had a case of covid on the WC for a very long time," said Heath Milne Development West Coast

With tourism descimated in the area, it's vital numbers here increase. 

 "Our economy here we're not diverse enough to not have to worry about hospitaltiy it's very very important and those areas are the ones that feel it when we do have restrictions," said Milne. 

The South Island may all be orange but some regions are on a different path to the green light.