Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Protesters seen licking hands before pressing central Wellington pedestrian crossing buttons

People associated with the protest at Parliament were seen licking their hands before pressing the button at a pedestrian crossing in central Wellington.

Authorities are calling for members of the public to report these types of incidents so they can review CCTV footage and find those involved.

A Wellington resident said he first saw it happen at the corner of Waterloo Quay and Bunny St - less than 500 metres away from Parliament - on Monday morning.

"I wasn't sure if that's what I saw. It wasn't until I was standing next to one of them and he pretty blatantly did it," he told the Herald.

The second time he saw the same thing happen, later that day, he said he immediately realised what protesters were doing.

Although the resident was disgusted and wanted to confront the protesters, he said there was a group of around six of them and he didn't feel comfortable confronting them on his own. Members of the group were wearing anti-vaccine mandate T-shirts and were heard discussing their family and friends coming to join the protest.

"It just horrified me because the button had been pushed when the red man was [already showing]."

The Wellington City Council said it doesn't condone "this idiotic anti-social behaviour" and is asking anyone who witnesses it to report the time and place to a nearby local host, a police officer or to call 105.

From there, the council said CCTV footage can be viewed to try and identify the offender.

The resident said he was complaining to police via the 105 service.

Police say a number of people and vehicles have left the protest in recent days, and the offer of free parking at Sky Stadium will end after today.

Speaking from the West Coast today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed some anti-mandate and convoy protest-related issues.

She said she would not allow a "small handful" of people in the country to command her focus.

She said protesters acting illegally would get no audience with the Government.

One could not hurl human waste at police or abuse local people and then demand talks with lawmakers, she said.

"When you tip into harassment and violence, we cannot condone that."