Police carry off Restore City Rail protesters after they had glued themselves to Adelaide Road in Wellington. Video / Vita Molyneux
Wellington police are using a rapid response team to combat repeated road-blocking protests by Restore Passenger Rail protestersthis month.
Acting Wellington District Commander Nicholas Thom told NZME that on weekday mornings the police have a team ready and waiting to unglue protesters from the city’s main routes.
Thom said on average, 8 to 10 officers are attending the protests, which have disrupted life in Wellington every week of April.
“Whilst it doesn’t have an effect on day-to-day policing they [the police] could be out doing other preventative duties they no longer have time for because they’re policing this protest.”
He said the protest action presents a huge risk to the general public – and the protesters themselves.
“They’re putting themselves at risk of being hit by cars that don’t see them and they’re also putting other motorists at risk of causing some sort of vehicle collision, because they are walking out in front of cars that are moving and it is 100 km/h area.”
Police taking Restore Passenger Rail protesters into custody after they blocked State Highway 1 in Wellington.
His comments come after four protesters were arrested yesterday for blocking Wellington’s State Highway 1. It is the fifth time the Restore Passenger Rail group have protested this month by sitting down in the middle of arterial routes through the city.
Adelaide Rd, Vivian St and another section of SH1 were all blocked – but police managed to intervene in the fourth protest planned for Johnsonville Rd before it got under way.
Thom said this happened purely coincidentally – officers happened to be passing through the Johnsonville area when they spotted the group getting ready to protest, and so stepped in.
“It’s tricky if we don’t have a known location they’re going to set up for,” he said.
Thom said anyone who has information on where the protesters are going to be should share it with the police with the non-emergency hotline on 105.
“We receive pieces of information from time to time, and we’re always keen to hear from the public and if they know people and receive information that they’re willing to pass on to police, call 105.”
Protesters above the Johnsonville motorway. Photo / Mark Mitchell
In one instance, they attempted to join a select committee Zoom call to plead their case while sitting on a gantry across the blocked motorway - but were not allowed to join the call while breaking the law.
They demanded that the Government restore passenger rail services and make public transport free – however, after what they described as a failed meeting with Transport Minister Michael Wood in December 2022, they threw paint across several Labour MP’s offices.
Restore Passenger Rail protesters are spray-painted red outside Megan Woods' office.
Whanau had extended an offer to the protesters to meet with her and find a productive way forward – but when they once again blocked roads – this time Adelaide Rd in Newtown – she withdrew her offer.
“They have not moved forward in good faith, they have disrupted Wellingtonians, they have disrupted the lives of normal people instead of the Government’s.”
Thom said the police have attempted to liaise with the protesters as well but so far they have been uninterested in taking the advice of officers.
“We’re always looking at ways to improve our response and we would love to be able to prevent them [causing disruption] but a certain amount of responsibility lies with the protest.”
