A motorist threatened to run over Restore Passenger Rail protesters this morning in Wellington.
Video / Restore Passenger Rail
A man stuck behind this morning’s Restore Passenger Rail protesters threatened to “run them over” and appeared to kick the three people sitting across Wellington’s State Highway 1.
Charges are being considered for three Restore Passenger Rail protesters who blocked southbound traffic near the Terrace Tunnel.
The group sat down across the entrance to the Terrace Tunnel just after 8am - but by 8.50am an NZME reporter at the scene confirmed the protesters were gone, and traffic was flowing freely.
Despite the swift turnaround and removal by police, one motorist was furious at the holdup. Video of the incident shows the man in hi-vis striding out from the building traffic, and kicking at the protester’s hands - which appear to be in the process of being stuck to the road.
“Leave it alone!” one protester can be heard screaming as the camera gets dropped. The protesters appear to try and calm the man down, saying they understand that “he’s really angry.
A spokesperson from the police confirmed three people were taken into custody and the road was reopened.
Last week, the group brought traffic to a standstill on Wellington’s SH1, leading to the arrest of two of the protesters, and four days after another member, Rosemary Penwarden, was arrested for allegedly concreting her hand to a Wellington road.
Penwarden became the first of her protest group to be refused bail later that day, and was remanded in custody on a charge of endangering transport. Despite carrying out multiple protests over recent months, no members of the group had yet been remanded in custody until now.
Police would not confirm if the substance used to stick Penwarden’s hand to the road was cement, but construction expert John Tookey told the Herald it was likely an epoxy mixture, as cement alone could not set quickly enough to be useful.
Restore Passenger Rail Protester Rosemary Penwarden is escorted off by police with her hand covered in concrete. Photo / Azaria Howell
Restore Passenger Rail has been carrying out protests since October last year, choosing various busy roads to stage demonstrations on. Many of the group are on active charges for endangering transport, creating a criminal nuisance by obstructing the road, and in some cases, trespass on state highways.
They demanded that the Government restore passenger rail services and make public transport free – however, after what they described as a failed meeting with then Transport Minister Michael Wood in December 2022, they threw paint across several Labour MPs’ offices.
This move spurred Wood to rule out meeting with the group again.
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.
