Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Auckland.
She was welcomed to the Manurewa vaccination clinic with a Powhiri. Ardern was then vaccinated by registered nurse Nicole Andrews who is the clinical site lead at the clinic which is New Zealand's first marae-based COVID-19 vaccination centre.
Ardern says the vaccine was "actually pretty pain free" and "better than the flu vaccine".
On Thursday she revealed the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to the general population will begin on July 28 and that it will be staggered in age bands.
Ardern received her vaccine three months ahead of her age band to "demonstrate" its safety and effectiveness.
"For me, I never wanted to be amongst the first," she said at her appointment.
"For me, we needed to get those frontline workers. But I also need to be a role model and just demonstrate that it's safe, that it's effective and that it's really important that everyone is vaccinated when they get the opportunity. So it's about finding the right balance."
The Government has been criticised for the pace of the roll-out, with New Zealand falling to the bottom of the OECD. It has also battled with revelations that groups deemed 'high risk' have fallen behind schedule.
