July 19, 2020
Wardens recruit as pandemic proves worth
Māori wardens are enjoying a spurt of interest from aspiring volunteers because of the high profile they have had through the COVID-19 crisis.
Thomas Henry from the South Auckland wardens says the wardens have taken on extra work including helping on food banks and in the pop up COVID testing stations.
They have even been called in to deal with cases of theft when shopkeepers did not want to hand people over to the police and relied on the wardens to give people advice on how to get through hard times.
He says many of the new volunteers were looking for something to do after losing their jobs because of the pandemic.
"We've just had so much interest in the wardens and wanting to give back because they've seen the work of the wardens. We've had nurses, we've had people that have owned companies that had to shut down just coming in doing food parcels and delivering, it's been awesome," Mr Henry says.
The latest intake of trainees will be welcomed this morning at the warden’s Ōtāhuhu base.
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