Celebrated for its bacon butties initiative, the Taranaki District Health Board has reached back into its culinary bag of tricks to help boost vaccinations rates.
This time, to mark the start of winter, a heart warming soup with a fresh bread roll was on the menu.
A steady stream of people rocked up to the Powderham Street Vaccination Centre in New Plymouth today to get a jab and tuck into a cup of hot soup.
Taranaki DHB clinical team leader for the vaccination roll out, Sharon Crowe, said it seemed the natural thing to do.
"It's a cold winter's day, you know, we're into winter it's windy and gusty out there and we thought it would be nice to just offer a nice hot soup when someone came into be vaccinated."
Taranaki DHB Covid-19 vaccination roll out team leader Sharon Crowe Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
So what was on the menu?
"So, we've got chicken and vegetable soup here with ordinary rolls and here we've got a gluten free pumpkin soup and we've also got gluten free bread to go with that as well."
Vaccinator Haim Ainsworth got pulled off his day job to help out with kitchen duties.
"Sure it's not my regular job and I've never worked in food prep, but it's really lovely and the response has been fantastic."
He had to admit the soups were not his own creations.
"I don't think that would be the best thing to do for our client base. I believe some of them are pre-made and just heated up together and I think one of them might be homemade, but I can't guarantee that ... actually that's not true it's not homemade."
Taranaki DHB vaccinator Haim Ainsworth Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The clinic extended beyond Covid-19 jabs and flu and measles shots were on offer too.
As well as soup, visitors to the clinic were given wellness Packs, which included everything from toilet paper, antiseptic wipes and coffee to boxes of rapid antigen tests, while knitwear gifts and spot prizes were up for grabs too.
Joanna had come in for a flu jab and scored a large cosy blanket as a spot prize.
"What a great idea and I hope more people come through and take advantage of what's on offer."
And the soup wasn't half bad either.
"Wonderful. It filled me up while I was waiting."
Glenys scored herself a new beanie as well and hadn't passed up on the soup either.
"I did have a cup of soup which was very nice considering it's not a nice day anyway. It was very nice whoever made it 10 out of 10 to them."
Beverly had come in with her husband Neil and hadn't expected so much to be on offer.
She went for the chicken soup.
"The soup was beautiful, chicken soup, yes lovely. Delicious, it was delicious. Yes very tasty."
Taranaki DHB has delivered more than 250,000 Covid shots.
The general population is 69 percent boosted while 51 percent of Māori have had a third shot.
Just 21 percent of tamariki in the region have had two shots.
So far, 25 people have died with virus in the province.
