Restore Passenger Rail protesters spray Wellington’s Gazley car dealership with paint

Police have arrested three Restore Passenger Rail protesters after they spray-painted the front of a car dealership and glued themselves to the footpath.

A heavy police presence could be seen outside Gazley Motors on Cambridge Tce, and the building was splattered with red spray paint.

Gazley car dealership on Cambridge Terrace in Central Wellington has been spray-painted by Restore Passenger Rail protesters. Photo / Nick James

A spokesman from Restore Passenger Rail said they wanted “to illustrate the choice this election between luxury emissions and a livable future”.

“The obscenely rich are lobbying against us having sustainable transport systems and are turbocharging the climate crisis with more motorways and more luxury emissions,” said spokesman James Cockle.

A police spokesperson said three people have been arrested and charges are being considered.

There were no traffic disruptions and inquiries into the incident are ongoing, they said.

Gazley Motors managing director Myles Gazley told the Herald the protesters had sprayed his brother Oliver “head to toe” in the paint as he came out to see why they were spraying the building.

Gazley said it was “unbelievable” and he didn’t understand why his dealership had been targeted.

“If they wanna Restore Passenger Rail, they should go to the railway station maybe - not sure why they’re spraying the building when half the cars are electric.”

The latest action comes after three consecutive weeks of protest as protesters block various roads across the capital.

Three protesters have been remanded without bail, including Rosemary Penwarden, 64, who was arrested last month and charged with endangering transport after attaching her hand to State Highway 1 in Kilbirnie. On Tuesday, Restore Passenger Rail gathered outside the High Court with a makeshift cage as Penwarden appealed her bail.

Restore Passenger Rail protesters set up a prison cell outside the High Court in Wellington as a fellow protester was seeking bail inside.

The makeshift structure was directly outside the courthouse, with pictures of the three protesters remanded in custody leaning up against it, labelling them climate “protectors”.

People also set up signs inside reading “free the three”.

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.