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Efeso Collins, a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives for the Green Party and a vocal proponent of COVID-19 mass vaccination efforts, died tragically on Wednesday morning.
Collins, 49, was taking part in a charity run to support ChildFund's initiative to provide safe drinking water to communities in the Pacific when he unexpectedly collapsed.
Despite immediate medical attention provided by emergency services at the event in Auckland's Britomart, efforts to revive the MP were unsuccessful.
Privacy screens were erected around the scene to maintain dignity and privacy, as CPR and a defibrillator were used for about an hour before event organizers confirmed his demise. To inform,
The news outlet reported that the MP died at the scene.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, and there is no confirmation that it is related to her vaccination status or advocacy efforts.
Collins was known for her vocal support of mass COVID-19 vaccination, particularly within Māori and Pacific communities. He was recently vocal about a “vaxathon” event, which he described as an important “call to action” to RNZ to encourage vaccination.
Despite initial concerns about low booking numbers for the Vaxathon – only 3,000 out of 12,500 invitees secured a spot – Collins attributed this to communication challenges rather than vaccine hesitancy.
He stressed that engagement with community leaders was essential for successful outreach and criticized the Ministry of Health's approach as being disconnected from the realities of communities in South Auckland.
Below is a video of Efeso Collins explaining how important the second COVID jab is.