Frontliner Melaia: How Pasifika Community Bear Brunt Of New COVID-19 Outbreak

Fijian-born, Melaia Korobure, a COVID-19 frontliner in New Zealand is passionate about her role as the first point of contact at a testing station in Auckland.

She works alongside nurses and doctors on the frontline as an administration support officer at the Otara Pop-Up Testing Station under the organisation, Alliance Health.

Here, Ms Korobure explains how the Pasifika community has been getting backlash and hate, however, she also shares insights on the overwhelming support she gets from the Pasifika community and from the rest of Auckland.

She hails from Vaturua Vllage in Nakelo, Tailevu and has maternal links to Nailega, Wainibuka. Her family moved to New Zealand in 2009.

Ms Korobure, 21, said as patients arrived at the drive-through testing station, she would register and triage patients by taking down their accurate details.

“New Zealand has been free of COVID-19 for about 102 days, but when it re-emerged, it started with an island family and now everyone is blaming them for New Zealand having COVID-19 again,” Ms Korobure said.

“The virus is the problem, not the people.

“The virus does not discriminate as it is affecting people of all sorts of background, race, gender and all we need to do is work together and stop playing the blame game,” Ms Korobure said.

Flares against the island communities came about as people posted cruel comments and posters on various social media platforms blaming the Pasifika communities for the increase in COVID-19 cases in the county.

She hopes people change their mindset and look at the bigger picture of what the virus is doing around the world rather than being prejudiced.

“It is the Pasifika community that have been coming out in crowds to get tested, family, church, community and I’m so proud of my community,” Ms Korobure said.

Ms Korobure is also a final year student doing her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer & Information Sciences with an IT Service Science Major at the Auckland University of Technology.

“To be very honest there isn’t any challenges we face as frontliners - only things we battle is being out in the cold, rain, etc, since it is a pop up drive-through testing station and also working long hours.

“I don’t see that as a challenge but more of a commitment to our community,” she said.

Edited by Caroline Ratucadra

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