A Cambridge woman is behind a representative legal action trying to reverse Waipā District Council’s decision to ban unvaccinated people from its facilities.
Nina Parker, who The News understands was turned away from a Waipā swimming pool because she did not produce a vaccine pass, has launched a Give-a-Little page to raise $10,500 for the action.
By Tuesday the fund had reached over $4000.
Other Waipā residents also reacted angrily to the decision and have called for a rates rebate saying they are only getting part of what they pay for.
Waipā’s vaccination rate continues to lead the Waikato with 95 per cent first doses and 91.4 per cent second doses yesterday morning.
Māori rates are lower with first doses at 82.2 per cent – or another 454 people – and second doses at 74.8 per cent, 883 more people.
“We support appropriate safety protocols for these venues for Covid-19 and are of the opinion that where essential services such as supermarkets are prohibited from requiring vaccine passports, so too should public venues fall into this group,” Parker says on the Give-a-Little page.
Mayor Jim Mylchreest said the actions put Waipā in a “really sad position.”
“Although it’s a small percentage of the population that have got really strongly held views against vaccination, for whatever reason… we’ve really got to look to focus on the majority and looking after the health and wellbeing of the whole community.
“It’s a really challenging time. I feel for those people who have made that call and I feel for the staff who have to manage it. It becomes quite confrontational. Somehow, we’ve got to satisfy people we’re doing the right thing and we are considering everybody’s point of view,” said Mylchreest.
