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Download AudioWainuiomata identity Ken Laban says it’s been humbling and inspiring to see locals come together to defend their marae and community from anti-vaccination mandate protesters.
Many in the convoy cleared from Parliament grounds last Wednesday camped in the Lower Hutt suburb, and there was talk of them moving onto the marae, either to seek sanctuary or to disrupt vaccination programmes.
The response was immediate.
“We celebrated through waiata and we celebrated through haka and we were going through the night on various shifts and the police were calling in and the Māori wardens were on site, the Wainuiomata Rugby League was hugely represented as you would imagine with all the old boys involved and of course, they are all connected to whānau working on the front line in the vaccination area and the vulnerable family area,” Mr Laban says.
He says the contribution of Taranaki Whānui leaders and Wainuiomata Lions Masters rugby league team member Kura Moeahau over the past weeks has been immense.
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