Rainbow Welcomes Aroha from Pipitea

te-pati-maori

Tue Mar 01 2011 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Rainbow Welcomes Aroha from Pipitea

Tuesday, 1 March 2011, 3:13 pm
Press Release: The Maori Party

MEDIA STATEMENT
Rāhui Katene
Māori Party MP for Te Tai Tonga (includes Christchurch)
Tuesday March 1, 2011

Rainbow Welcomes Aroha from Pipitea

Māori Party MP Rāhui Katene says the three containers of much needed food, baby products and sanitary supplies from Wellington’s Pipitea Marae were welcomed with a rainbow as they were unloaded in Christchurch early this morning.

“It was great to watch the trucks enter the site at Wigram and the rainbow looping above. For us this was a good sign – a sign of hope and love,” Mrs Katene said.

“Some people and a truck driver carrying a swing hoist got lost on their way to the site so they called us. We told them to follow the rainbow, which they did, and they found us.

“Seeing all the supplies from nappies to perishables, pain killers to clothes and so much more really brought warmth to our hearts. There’s so much in those containers that our families and children will desperately need over the enduring weeks and months.”

A representative from Ngāi Tahu and Mrs Katene received about 10 tonnes of supplies in the containers at about 7am this morning.

“We must give thanks to all the people of Wellington who donated, to Pipitea Marae for co-ordinating it all and especially to Glenis Phillip-Barbara who accompanied the containers down.”

Within hours of the containers arriving, the Student Army was at the site packing and sorting the supplies, some of which would be distributed directly to households, particularly those in the worst affected suburbs, by the Ōtautahi Māori Wardens.

“The wardens have been so awesome and all those who have given can be assured that their donations will get to where they are most needed.”

Mrs Katene also wanted to specifically acknowledge the following groups which provided their services at no cost: Port Nicholson Block, Bluebridge, Freight Lines, Transit and Linfox.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from The Maori Party on InfoPages.