October 07, 2021
Gang leaders best advocates in tough times
Green MP Teano Tuiono says leading gang figures given exemptions to travel into Auckland to assist vaccination efforts are clearly essential workers.
Exemptions were granted to Sonny Fatupaito from the Mongrel Mob’s Waikato Kingdom chapter and life member Harry Tam, who spent about two weeks in the city helping efforts to test and contact trace gang whānau affected by Covid.
Mr Tuiono says it shows health authorities have a realistic view of getting the message through to what Mr Tam calls hard to reach communities.
“They’re not going to listen to the usual people. They are going to listen to their own people and if there are people there who they will listen to who will help them access essential services, who will encourage them to get vaccinated, then we should do that. We should be doing all the things we can to make sure we get our families vaccinated, so all these people who are raising their eyebrows, I’m like ‘so what,'” he says.