An Auckland councillor says the sight of a security standing guard outside her home "broke" her after receiving abuse from anti-vaxxers for calling out the vandalism of a vaccination centre.
Josephine Bartley, ward councillor for the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki local board, says she was targeted on Sunday after she described the smashing of Pasefika Family Health Group's front window in Panmure as "unacceptable" in a social media post.
The vandalism had occurred less than 24 hours after a community COVID-19 immunisation event had been held there.
Bartley says after she made the post, she was sitting in her screen-written car when three men approached her, calling her "scum" and threatening to vandalise her car.
She says she'd already taken down some tweets about the vandalism before this incident occurred because she'd been getting abused online.
While there was plenty of vitriol, her community rallied around her to ensure she was well-protected. Bartley says she was moved to tears by the acts of kindness - particularly by the sight of a security guard stationed outside her home.
"I woke up to South Auckland security firm Mealamu Security outside my place. I've been receiving hate and online abuse since this lockdown started when I got involved with the vaccination push but yesterday was the first time I'd faced the hate in person," she wrote in a Facebook post.
"I've been doing well holding it together through all of it until I saw these guys and it just broke me, all your messages and comments, the Police, my family and sista Jacinta Fa'alili-Fidow telling me to stay with them, my local community telling me they just down the road, even my neighbour charged his cameras to catch anyone coming down driveway lol.
"I feel so loved and cared for and just keep crying. Thank you so much. This just gonna make me go even more one hundy now for our communities."
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki is part of Auckland DHB - one of three DHBs in the region that requires 90 percent double-vaccination rates before it can move from the COVID-19 alert level system to the less restrictive traffic light system.
At the current rate, Auckland DHB will hit 90 percent double-jabbed within the next fortnight, with Waitemata and Counties-Manukau to follow suit in the weeks following.
