Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson says that MPs are now living in a ‘different environment’ recalling being yelled at with threats and accused of being a paedophile at Whangārei airport recently. Video / Mark Mitchell
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson says thought has to be given to keeping MPs safe in the upcoming election campaign after an escalation in threats and abuse of MPs, including himself.
"We are heading into an election campaign that will be undertaken in an atmosphere that is different from the ones I've done before.
"When I travel around New Zealand now, I come across people who are yelling threats and abuse at me in such a way that I now have to think about whether I have DPS with me."
The Diplomatic Protection Squad police accompany the Prime Minister as a matter of course, but also follow the Opposition leader on some occasions, including during the election campaign and at Waitangi, where politicians have been targeted before.
Otherwise, their services are used only when a situation is considered dangerous or there are concerning threats around a specific politician.
Robertson said next year's campaign would be challenging.
He referred to a July incident in Whangarei, in which he left by the back door of a venue to avoid about a dozen anti-mandate protesters and those opposing the closure of the Marsden Pt oil refinery blocked the way to his car, one bearing a large lamington cake she said was to throw at him.
Robertson said protesters also later blocked his entry to the airport in Whangarei. "They were screaming and yelling at me that I was a paedophile and other revolting things. Those sorts of experiences are not great."
He had had DPS with him on that occasion because of Facebook posts suggesting his visit would be protested.
"I felt safe with them with me. But we can't do that for every MP. I think we are going to have to think about this election campaign in a slightly different way. We can't let them win, so we're going to have to think about how we do it differently.
"How do we still get out there to meet people, listen to people, but it is in a different environment?
"For me, I've been an MP for 14 years, it is different now. The threats are greater – they are more often, more intense."
The vaccination mandates and other Covid-19 restrictions that sparked some protests have now been scrapped but it remains to be seen whether that will also result in protests abating - or being transferred to different issues.
Since they were introduced, protesters have been a common feature on Ardern's domestic travels, despite efforts to keep many of her visits quiet. In May, National Party leader Christopher Luxon was also kept inside a venue in Palmerston North until police arrived.
Protesters near PM Jacinda Ardern's van in Hamilton in June. Photo / Mike Scott
Despite that, Luxon said that he felt "pretty safe" as he moved around the country, but care had to be taken to try to avoid division.
"We can disagree without being disagreeable, but we need to maintain civility because once you have division in a country, it's very hard to zip it back up together again.
"It's actually one of the great things about New Zealand that we are highly accessible as politicians to the public. We do not want to see, as we see in many other countries, that as politicians we are not available to the public."
He said he had lived in countries in which division had come up – including the United States.
"We all need to be conscious that we can have civility in our politics here in New Zealand. The fact we run into each other in the Koru lounge, on travels, on planes, I think that is a good thing."
His deputy leader Nicola Willis also said she had felt fairly safe to date. People disagreed with her sometimes, but that was part of an open democracy. On whether her gender was a factor in some of the reactions she got, she said "sometimes some of the comments I get online men wouldn't get".
Labour MP Tamati Coffey said he had to take his name and branding off his car after it was targeted. "I've had my car scratched, I've had people yell at me and abuse me in my branded car. I've taken my name off my car because of some of the abuse I've had."
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she had noticed a more "violent nature" to threats.
"And I have been been in politics for a while. So yes, I'm really concerned."
Davidson said she wanted parties and wider Parliament to stay serious about threats to safety but not to let it affect the right to democracy, particularly for women of colour.
"There is a responsibility for all of us as organisations, as parties, as Parliament to provide safety the best way we can."
MP Golriz Ghahraman said she had noticed women in particular, and especially women of color and Māori women, receiving "heightened threats".
"We've seen an unprecedented rise in that over the past few months."
She said there was also concern for staff.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said she had experienced threats ever since arriving in Parliament in 2020.
