Anti-P battlers plan march to Beehive

Gloria Taaka (front), Rangimaria Cooper and Marie Cotter. Picture / Dean Purcell

A community worker concerned by a lack of information and support for families affected by methamphetamine is calling New Zealanders to battle the highly addictive drug.

Marie Cotter, a budget adviser working in Pukekohe, has in a few weeks brought together a campaign to tackle the P problem.

She is organising a march from Auckland to Wellington that will terminate at Parliament, where those involved are being asked to lay wreaths in memory of people who have lost their lives through P.

Ms Cotter had little awareness of pure methamphetamine until a client approached her in tears last December.

Gloria Taaka Snr was struggling to find help for a family member hooked on methamphetamine.

Ms Cotter cried as she listened to Mrs Taaka talk about the impact of the addiction on her great-grandchildren, and they looked for help from Government services.

"I'm a budgeter, I don't know anything about drugs," said Ms Cotter. "I saw her with her grandchildren and I'm a grandmother - I thought to myself I could be going through the same thing.

"I went out into the community to see what I could find out about P and there was nothing available for me here [Pukekohe]. I went to Papatoetoe, and the same there. That's when I decided there's no public awareness about P."

Ms Cotter formed Fight Against P, and a website was established.

She has the support of Pukekohe community constable Noel Surrey, who along with Mrs Taaka and Rangimaria Cooper is part of a team organising the march.

Senior Constable Surrey said the group was long overdue, noting the increasing number of methamphetamine labs busted by police.

Ms Cotter said Fight Against P would lobby the Government to put more effort into tackling the issue - including more treatment programmes, a dedicated anonymous call-centre, compulsory drug education in schools and tougher penalties for drug dealers.

The march on February 20 will start from Victoria Park at 11am and involve bus or private car travel between major centres and rallies in towns along the way.

Ms Cotter is hoping people will come out to share their community's experience with P.

"We might find some of these towns have programmes working that we don't know of. I'm hoping we can share information as we go along."