Rangatahi at Raukawa Marae getting ready to have their vaccination.
Weekly column by Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan.
On Sunday, Claire and I were at Wellington Airport. Air New Zealand flight 1289 from Auckland had landed.
The flight was carrying a full load of passengers just released from 14 days in MIQ, including our son Ra who had finally decided to quit his life in Melbourne and come home.
It was an amazing scene with so many people crying, cheering and hugging. Our attention was drawn to the two little kids holding up a small homemade banner, mounted on two bamboo sticks, with the words "Welcome Home Granddad" scrawled in crayon. Their reunion was a sweet scene.
They will all have personal stories. If nothing else, the Covid pandemic is a deep personal experience. With a 75-year-old brother in Auckland, a son under lockdown in Melbourne hoping to secure a lottery to come back home, a pregnant daughter-in-law at home which transitioned now into a 5-month-old grandson, Covid had always been a personal challenge.
A challenge burned into my mind by the horrific scenes delivered by the international media of the carnage in India.
Scenes of desperate families turned away from hospitals where the national health system had collapsed under the sheer demand. Scenes of hundreds of bodies being cremated at cemeteries.
And now, the virus that grabbed its first real estate in Auckland is spreading its tentacles southwards. On Saturday, after a still unfolding scare in the Wairarapa, Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson fired a stern warning to the rest of Wellington, saying "Wellington you are next". In my head her words were customised for us: "Kāpiti you are next".
Her observation was a brutal wake-up call. The time for thinking about Covid coming was over. We need to transition to start preparations for Covid-19 to land in our neighbourhoods, among our families and friends.
On Saturday, Claire and I were privileged to attend a community event at Raukawa Marae supported by Nga Hapu Ōtaki, Maoriland Hub, and Te Wananga o Raukawa. The local Māori community was organising itself for the inevitable coming of Covid-19 to Ōtaki.
The Ōtaki response called "Kia Ora Ōtaki" was emblazoned on giveaway T-shirts and face masks. It was a movement launched to organise the community to strengthen its connections.
It had a whainga or goal to establish a response team providing administrative and coordination support. An online database giving access to information from multiple agencies and the ability to lobby for support.
Organising young people, akin to the Student Army movement, where rangatahi provide leadership in the community.
The movement aimed to develop a team of workers who can deliver a range of services. These include the delivery of care packs, groceries and prescriptions for those isolated at home, drive support vehicles, gather and deliver food donations, help whānau secure support services, train to be lay vaccinators, man telephones services, teach online banking, and provide online advice. The campaign is designed to secure representation from every whānau and community group.
While the vaccination service in the meeting house was seeing a steady stream of people, it was really good to see Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office also present at the adjoining hall.
They were set up next to a public consultation process currently being run on a growth strategy for the district.
Given the strength of the Māori community in Ōtaki, in terms of population numbers, historical presence and land ownership, it was critical for mana whenua to help shape the projected development of Ōtaki.
The housing issue is also important to the current discussion around the spread of Covid. There is a direct correlation between high deprivation areas, overcrowded housing, and the spread of Covid.
To conclude this column I want to appeal to everyone to get vaccinated. I have literally done a song and dance to promote this with the help of former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, former Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, and Sir Jon Trimmer through a YouTube video featuring singer Andrew London.
Thank you to Andrew and video designer Caleb Jack who produced it in just a week because the message is urgent. Covid-19 is coming. Vaccination is the best defence we have. The message launched at Ōtaki's Raukawa Marae on Saturday needs to reverberate across the region. It's coming. Get ready.