The Independent Police Conduct Authority will release its findings today into the fractious stand-off between police and protesters which culminated in a fiery riot on Parliament grounds on March 2 last year.
Public servants in the capital are being told to work from home or hide their Government IDs while walking through Wellington as protesters descend on Parliament.
A large protest spearheaded by Brian Tamaki’s Freedom and Rights Coalition is planned for Thursday, with convoys heading from the North and from the South Island.
The ‘Abandon Agenda 2030′ Protest is scheduled to kick off on Thursday.
An email to Stats NZ seen by the Herald encouraged workers to avoid wearing their Government IDs and lanyards outside the building and be “extra mindful” of people entering doors behind them.
“Be aware that public transport may be impacted. If you plan to work at [the office] this Thursday, you may want to avoid the areas where the protesters are likely to be.”
An email sent to staff working in Parliament asked “as many people as possible” to work from home.
“Our people’s safety and security are our key priority, and additional security measures will be in place on the day.”
The Terrace Medical Centre is also encouraging patients to take virtual appointments “wherever possible” due to road closure and traffic issues as a result of the protest
“We are unsure of exact road closures at this point, however, the roads surrounding Parliament will be closed for safety reasons so parking will be extremely limited. We would suggest that unless you need to come in, that you have a phone or video consult with your GP instead.”
Several bus routes will be disrupted, possibly for days due to the protest and road closures.
Police Acting Superintendent Wade Jennings said parts of Hill St between Molesworth Street and Guildford Terrace – will be closed to general traffic from midnight tonight and restrictions for general traffic will also be in place for Kate Sheppard Place, and Bunny Street near the bus depot.
Police will have a high visibility to provide reassurance to the community.
From Wednesday detours will be in place for the 14,22,81 and 84 routes. All stops on Molesworth Street are closed.
Metlink will have staff on the ground including at the bus exchange monitoring the situation.
“The safety of our passengers and people is our top priority, as is minimising any disruption to the wider public transport network,” says Metlink Group Manager Samantha Gain.
Molesworth Street closure map. Photo / Metlink
As well as Tamaki’s protest, protesters from farmers advocacy group Groundswell are also making their way past Wellington en route to Auckland on Thursday.
The Drive 4 Change event will be travelling north on State Highway 1 from Timaru to Christchurch over the weekend, and through to Wellington on Thursday as part of participants’ drive all the way to Auckland.
A spokesperson said the protest is not one of the groups heading to Parliament and will be bypassing Wellington city.
However harsh weather conditions mean the flights and ferries for the South Island are facing delays and cancellations.
Wellington City Council spokesperson Victoria Barton Chapple said the council was aware that protest groups were converging on Wellington’s CBD.
“A number of road closures and diversions are in place.”
Barton-Chapple said the protesters had not submitted a traffic management plan, but the council had received one from the police and approved it.
The plan will be in place from this evening.
“It’s recommended commuters and people who work or move through the area plan ahead, and while we anticipate there will be more people in the area, we will endeavour to keep traffic disruption to a minimum.”
Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.
