Hamilton martial artists Cameron Quertier (left), Timothy Stevens, Tinta Smith and Armin Schmidt will walk 100km in 24 hours.
Hamilton martial artists Cameron Quertier (left), Timothy Stevens, Tinta Smith and Armin Schmidt will walk 100km in 24 hours.
Four Hamilton martial artists have organised a special walk tomorrow in support of the Walk Without Fear Trust, raising awareness around coward punch violence.
Armin Schmidt, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Timothy Stevens, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, Tinta Smith, a multiple NZ boxing champion and Cameron Quertier, a wellness coachand martial artist, will walk 100km in 24 hours around Innes Common and Hamilton Lake from 3pm.
Anyone is welcome to join them.
Schmidt, a former victim of a coward punch, said the walk was a way of raising awareness and standing together for respect, care and the importance of looking out for each other.
“If we want safer communities for our children and the next generation, it begins with the example we choose to live by,” Schmidt said.
“[The walk] is an open invitation to connect, spark meaningful conversations, and be part of positive change as we come together to create a safer Aotearoa for us all.”
Walk Without Fear Trust board member and UFC coach Mike Angove is joining the team on their trek and will wear a different shirt each hour to honour the 15 manslaughter victims of coward punches since 2012.
Angove is a former teammate of coward punch victim and MMA fighterFau Vake, who died in 2021 after being attacked by four strangers in Auckland.
“It is critical we join with community initiatives and continue to raise awareness of the damage the coward punch does in our communities,” Angove said.
“What we typically see is a groundswell of support centred on a localised coward-punch tragedy.
“Sadly, after a brief media flurry, when someone is killed, then post-sentencing headlines outraged at the low sentencing outcomes and lack of justice for the victim, there is nothing until the next tragedy hits the news.”
Mike Angove. Photo / Greg Bowker
The trust recently made a submission on the Crimes Amendment Bill, calling for a minimum non-parole period of eight years’ imprisonment for a coward-punch death and for changes to the Sentencing Act 2002 around discounts applied to sentencing for the crime.
“Our objective is to make change using our platform, and we can only achieve this by supporting groups like the Kaitiaki Collective, in Hamilton, and the Coward Punch Movement in New Plymouth,” Angove said.
“[Through this we] weave our common threads together to become a strong enough rope to fly our flag in the communities and pull the Government and judiciary up to speed with what the public want.”
The walk will take place at Innes Common, Hamilton Lake, from 3pm tomorrow, Saturday, February 28, until 3pm on March 1.
Anyone is invited to join them, even if it’s just for an hour. Those interested can book a free time slot online at elementalcoachingnzbooking.as.me.
