"It's not just our caucus, it's for members across the board.
"There's no doubt in my mind that things have escalated now, so let's take it seriously."
McAnulty said he had not gone to police about the weekend's altercation or any subsequent threats, but said security recommended it, he would consider it.
"I've never received death threats before so it is pretty confronting, but I'd like some further advice as to how serious it is or whether it's just people who are getting a bit wound up."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had faced protests on her visits to regions including Northland and Whanganui, as well as a stream of anti-vaxx and anti-mandate commenters on her social media pages. She believed it was a "very small group".
"For me, there's probably a fairly consistent set of people who are unhappy at the mere existence of a Prime Minister.
"What I do think we're seeing at the moment is a period where there is a group who are unhappy at some of the decisions that are being made," Ardern added.
"Similar groups have been unhappy about prior decisions, even before Covid came along.
"It's not just about us. It's about those that genuinely may be targeted, but it is by a very small group. There will always be some disgruntlement."
National Party leader Judith Collins said she did not feel unsafe or threatened, but understood that some MPs would feel at risk. If she had reports of any threats, she would refer them to police.
National's Covid-19 spokesman Chris Bishop said he received a lot of "pretty abusive" messages about his own pro-vaccination stance. "That's part and parcel of the job, to be honest. I don't mind it too much. I haven't had any personal threats of violence or anything like that."
Act leader David Seymour said while he did not feel unsafe, he was aware other MPs were nervous about it.
"I know different colleagues have different levels of concern, and as a party leader I have been checking in with caucus. They are saying "we have to watch our backs." It is a growing issue for MPs."
Seymour said removing some of the heat from the issue of vaccination mandates by allowing unvaccinated workers be regularly tested as an alternative would help: "I think that would deflate a lot of the temperature out of the current situation. But the way the Government has ramped up the rhetoric around the mandates has further inflamed what was already a very difficult situation."
On Monday, director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield rejected the suggestion of tests as an alternative to vaccinations in those workplaces which were considered higher risk.
He said vaccinations reduced the likelihood someone would be infected in the first place, and reduced the likelihood they would get very unwell and die.
"And that's material, and testing can't do either of those things."
McAnulty said he had not been worried about his safety at the time of the Masterton exchange, and said others on that day had simply wanted to have a discussion.
"But comments I've had subsequently online are a bit of a worry. I'm not too worried about that bloke in particular, but those who believe the rubbish that he's talking about and are then potentially willing to act on it, I think we need to take that seriously."
He said MPs were visible targets, and he had received threats to his face and online. "It's pretty confronting. There's no need to overreact but we have to take it seriously."
MPs could already use Parliamentary funding to have security systems installed in their family homes, and he believed that should be extended to their Wellington residences.
"Just the reality of that is that many MPs rent in Wellington and we don't know how many previous tenants there have been who could still have keys, those sorts of things."
He said MPs also parked their branded cars outside their homes, so it could be easy to work out where they lived.
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