February 12 2022
There was a record 454 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today with 27 people now in hospital as Omicron continues to surge.
Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard has started his next attempt to make life uncomfortable for the protesters outside Parliament, by setting up speakers to boom Barry Manilow, the Macarena, and Covid-19 vaccination messages at them.
But protesters responded by using their own speakers to drown out the Speaker's speakers, putting a drone in the air, singing Twister Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It, and blasting a loud truck horn.
Security lift concrete barriers into place. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Mallard, who had Parliament's lawn sprinklers turned on last night, had his speakers turned on as Freedom and Rights Coalition speeches ended.
The audience greeted the move with a loud chorus of boos and yelling.
Mallard said: "We wanted to make sure everybody here had the warning about trespass and because of the number of unvaccinated people in the audience, we believe it's important to promulgate messages about vaccination."
Residents in nearby apartments had been consulted and were happy with it, he said.
"They are very unhappy with the current situation."
He said the 15-minute loop of music and Covid-19 ads would play on repeat, possibly through the night.
The first Covid-19 ad was met with more boos, while police increased their presence.
Earlier this afternoon, a person was carried out of the protest on a stretcher by police and medical staff.
Protesters were seen passing the person on a stretcher with blue tarpaulin covering them to police over barricades.
The person has been taken to Wellington Hospital by ambulance and is currently in a moderate condition, a Wellington Free Ambulance spokeswoman said.
A person has been carried away from the protest on a stretcher. Photo / George Heard
It follows a protester suffering a medical event on Friday night. Because of the hundreds of vehicles blocking the roads surrounding Parliament, ambulances could not get to him.
Rain is falling in buckets as protesters continue to flood onto Parliament grounds in their anti-vaccine mandate protest.
Along with trenches dug to drain the pooling water, carpets have been laid, as well as straw in an attempt to stop the Parliament lawn turning into a swamp.
Despite the rain increasing in intensity, protesters have continued to arrive from all across the country, with trucks and vans and campervans blocking even more streets through the CBD. Many are bringing with them ample supplies ranging from food and medical services to sanitary items and even nappies.
Multiple food stations have been set up and protesters are walking through the crowd distributing food. Speakers have addressed the crowd throughout the day, including from the Freedom and Rights Coalition, many of whom arrived on motorcycles, and Ted Johnston, co-leader of the New Conservative political party.
'Wild, false, dangerous conspiracy theories'
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson earlier condemned protesters at Parliament, saying they are driven by "wild, false, dangerous conspiracy theories".
He says he supports the right to protest - but those at Parliament have lost that right due to their actions.
"When they threaten, harass and disrupt people and a whole city they lose that right. They have been trespassed, they need to leave."
He added that threats of violence are unacceptable, and said he understands why police must move the protesters on.
"Looking down on a protest that wants to hang me as a politician, a sign that compares the Prime Minister to the March 15th terrorist, calls for arrest and execution of me and other leaders you might understand why I believe the police need to move them on."
Earlier today
There have been no further arrests today as the large anti-vaccination and anti-mandate protest continues through its fifth day on the front lawn.
Superintendent Scott Fraser confirmed one person was arrested on Friday night for a breach of their bail conditions, and said police will maintain a significant presence at Parliament as they work to find solutions for the disruption the protest is causing.
When ambulances could not get to the protester who'd suffered a medical event on Friday night, paramedics had to park and walk to the man to provide the medical care he needed.
Fraser said this creates a "very difficult environment".
Police planned to work with tow trucks to try to remove more than 100 vehicles blocking Molesworth St, but tow truck drivers have been threatened by protesters
In response to safety concerns, Metlink is stopping all buses from travelling the Lambton Interchange "with immediate effect" and putting detours in place.
"We have taken this decision with everyone's health and wellbeing at the forefront of our plans and we thank passengers for their patience during this time."
Reinforcements have arrived at Parliament to join trench-digging protesters who are fighting back after a sprinkler-soaked night.
The number of protesters onsite has increased significantly since Friday with at least 1000 people on the front lawn and the surrounding area.
Protesters performed the haka on Parliament's mud-soaked lawns - despite requests from Ngāti Toa to stay away from it.
A protester points his umbrella at police while a haka is performed during the anti-vax, anti-mandate and anti-Government protest. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ngāti Toa condemns the use of the Ka Mate haka at anti-vaccination protests.
A protester performs the haka atop a concrete barrier. Photo / Mark Mitchell
A Herald reporter at the scene says the atmosphere is tense and aggressive, and there are so many people present that just moving through the area is challenging.
Parliamentary security used forklifts to move concrete barriers into place in front of the crowd as more protesters flooded in.
Security lift concrete barriers into place. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Protesters are being joined by members of the Freedom and Rights Coalition (FRC) - an organisation with links to Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki. The group announced on social media its plan to rejoin the protest this morning after walking away two days ago.
The sound of loud motorbike revving rose above the shouts of the crowd as members of the Freedom and Rights Coalition drove up to the protest, spurring cheers and whistles from the waiting crowd.
A biker surrounded by clouds of smoke. Photo / George Heard
As members of FRC began to speak to the crowd, one protester could be seen shining a laser pointer into the faces of journalists on the balcony above, and another could be heard using duck calls - either to taunt Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard, or try to entice him out of the building.
FRC have stationed their own people in high-vis vests to control their crowd and try to ensure they do not breach the barriers.
Men on motorbikes arrive at Parliament. Photo / George Heard
Clouds of smoke from the motorbikes rose above the grounds of Parliament and a sense of unease is in the air.
Protesters caked in mud, clad in raincoats and carrying umbrellas are pressed up against the barricades put up in front of Parliament, occasionally yelling at journalists on the media balcony to "tell the truth".
Newstalk ZB reporter Nick James says protesters have been chanting consistently since the morning, and despite being drenched have persevered in their occupation.
Despite a soggy start to the fifth day of the anti-mandate protest which is occupying Parliament's front lawn, protesters are this morning periodically breaking into song, with the national anthem being heard repeatedly over the calls of megaphones.
More vehicles have already arrived and joined the hundreds that have been blocking the streets near Parliament since Monday.
Front lawn of Parliament a 'mud pit'
As rain continues to fall in the capital, the lawns of Parliament are looking more like a battleground - complete with trenches.
Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard turned the sprinklers on last night and left them running in an effort to make the protesters uncomfortable, hoping it would make them leave.
"They're not legally on the ground, so there is no problem adding a little to their discomfort."
In response, protesters placed cones over the sprinklers and dug irrigation trenches to re-direct the water.
A Herald reporter says the damage to the front lawn is significant, describing it as a "mud pit".
Protesters placing Mallard duck decoys on the lawns of Parliament. Photo / George Heard
Some protesters have brought in duck callers and Mallard duck decoys and are placing them near the hand-dug trenches.
Ducks, mud, and “democracy” - video from the Parliamentary Grounds occupation this morning: pic.twitter.com/Y4kCFmwW8Y
A freshly planted fern on the lawn. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Police unable to communicate with protesters
The overall atmosphere in the capital was calmer yesterday than on Thursday, when 120 people were arrested in the protest over issues including vaccine mandates.
Some police were briefly seen carrying batons yesterday but Wellington District Commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell said officers had stopped doing so by early afternoon.
He said the officer in charge at the time made a misjudgment in terms of how they were reading the crowd and Parnell had ordered the batons be removed.
In a statement on Friday night police said there were no further arrests, but trying to engage with the leaders of the protest had been "ineffective" due to the "vast array of interest groups, and their conflicts with each other".
Four days into the protest, Parnell said the movement was split into factions, with some groups promoting false advice about people's rights and police powers.
"Police have identified a range of different causes and motivations among the protesters, making it difficult to open clear and meaningful lines of communication," Parnell said.
Several hundred people gathered on Parliament's front lawn among dozens of tents, despite a trespass notice being served.
Protesters the Herald spoke to sought to distance the majority of those present from any of the violence seen earlier this week. Some insisted police were the instigators of unrest.
One pamphlet distributed in the grounds listed nine demands, with the first being an end to all Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
Another was the abolition of the traffic light pandemic response system.
Others called for the rejection of "any moves for a society based on digital identity" and the removal of "all restrictive vaccine passports".
The pamphlet also demanded compensation for people who lost jobs due to vaccine mandates.
The open letter was labelled "ProFest 22 for Peaceful Change" and its author or authors said they wanted non-violent action and a family-friendly, drug and alcohol-free space.
In the afternoon, a social media post announced that a second "freedom convoy" was travelling from Gisborne through Bulls and Kāpiti to Wellington.
Molesworth St during the occupation at Parliament's nearby lawn. Photo / Mark Mitchell
By yesterday, 96.2 per cent of eligible New Zealanders aged 12 or older had received at least one vaccine dose, with the vast majority of them double-vaccinated.
An additional 42.1 per cent had already received booster shots.
No sitting MPs have consistently or openly endorsed the protests but former Parliamentarians Winston Peters, Rodney Hide and Matt King have voiced some support or sympathies.
Security arrangements in parts of the Parliamentary precinct changed again after video taken of the protests from nearby Bowen House surfaced on social media.
Video taken from a high vantage point opposite the Beehive was uploaded to a social media channel linked to white nationalist group Action Zealandia.
Bowen House is supposed to provide access for people working at Parliament.
"We have seen the video, and the entrance to Bowen House has been closed," Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard said.
Some protesters reclined on the grass overlooking a large marquee set up on Friday. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Parnell told Newstalk ZB moving the more than 100 vehicles blocking streets near Parliament had presented a number of issues for police, but it was a "fundamental priority" and they were hoping to clear Molesworth St by Monday.
Police had tried to engage tow companies but many owners were reluctant to get involved as they had received threats, some from overseas, throughout the day.
Heavy haulage vehicles from the military had also been considered as another option for shifting the vehicles, he said.
Covid-19 cases hit record high
Today's 454 new community cases is a new record high for Aotearoa, with 27 people in hospital with the virus. No one requires ICU.
Tairāwhiti has reached two vaccination milestones today. Their eligible population reached 90 per cent fully vaccinated, the 18th DHB to do so, and it's eligible Māori population reached 90 per cent first doses.
Pandemic response minister Chris Hipkins said the 10 millionth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine was administered yesterday afternoon.
"Ten million vaccines, including more than 1.7 million boosters, means our communities already have a good level of protection against Omicron, with more to come," Hipkins said.
"Every single one of our DHBs has now reached 90 per cent of their population having received at least one vaccine dose," he added.
"Kiwis have really pulled together to protect each other with 95 per cent of people aged over 12 now fully vaccinated – one of the highest rates in the world."
The Government has indicated surging case numbers would make a move to the country's second phase of the pandemic response more likely in weeks or days ahead.
The second stage will involve identifying people most at risk of getting severely ill.
In the first stage, people are told to isolate for 14 days if testing positive, and 10 days if they are a contact.
In the second phase, isolation terms will reduce to 10 days for cases, and seven days for contacts.
