The Walk Without Fear Trust will unveil the justice system’s roster of coward punch shame this weekend at the 24-hour “Walk in Solidarity” in Hamilton.
The 24-hour, 100 km continuous walk, in support of the Walk Without Fear Trust’s mission to eliminate the coward punch will run from 3:00 PM on February 28th to 3:00 PM on March 1 around Innes Common, Hamilton Lake.
Trust board member, Mike Angove, who is also a teammate of coward punch victim, Fau Vake, will wear a different shirt every hour to honour the 15 manslaughter victims of the coward punch since 2012 and highlight the unjust sentencing for each victim.
“The Trust is fresh off making a submission on the Crimes Amendment Bill, where we call 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.
“The average custodial sentence for death from a coward punch since 2011 was less than three years four months. This excludes four sentences where home detention was granted for coward punch killers. The average eligibility for parole for those imprisoned was less than 14 months. This should sit prominently and uncomfortably in the justice system’s hall of shame.
“Every shirt change will remind people of the woefully unjust sentencing for these killers,” said Angove.
The Hamilton based, Kaitiaki Collective who are staging the event, are hoping the 100 km continuous walk will test not only the endurance of its participants but also to ignite meaningful conversations around violence prevention and community responsibility.
Collective is a group of Hamilton-based professionals who also train in martial arts and understand the tremendous damage coward punches cause in the community.
A Commitment to Change
“Our actions today influence tomorrow and the days to come,” said organiser Armin Schmidt. “If we want safer communities for our children and the next generation, it begins with the example we choose to live by.
“This 24-hour walk is our way of raising awareness and standing together for respect, care, and looking out for one another. Every step reflects our commitment to accountability, kindness, and community safety. It’s 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 Chairman, Eugene Bareman, who will attend the event, believes it’s essential for the Trust to get behind community initiatives which raise awareness of the damage the coward punch and street violence in our communities.
“What we have seen in the past, is a groundswell of support centred around a localised coward punch tragedy. And sadly, after a brief media flurry when someone is killed, then post sentencing outrage, there is nothing until the next tragedy hits the news.
“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. In doing 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.”
Join the Walk
The Kaitiaki Collective invites everyone to join us in this impactful journey. By participating in the Walk Without Fear 100 km challenge, we collectively demonstrate that responsibility and community safety start with us.
Book a time to join the team and complete a lap: https://bit.ly/3MED8aN
