New Zealand will now allow youths aged 12 to 15 to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Previously, only those aged 16 and over were eligible.
The government announcement on Thursday came as the nation remains in a strict lockdown as it deals with a new outbreak of the fast-spreading delta variant, its first virus outbreak in six months.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there were 11 new infections, bringing the total in the outbreak to 21. She said the outbreak had been linked to a passenger who returned from Sydney earlier this month.
On Tuesday, the government imposed a lockdown of at least three days across the country and of at least seven days in Auckland and Coromandel. New Zealand health workers are using only the Pfizer vaccine in their inoculation campaign.