Protest convoy to leave Tauranga en route to Beehive.
A protest group of up to 25 people gathered at Sulphur Point yesterday, before heading in convoy towards the Beehive where there will be a mass protest on the Parliament grounds.
The protest, led by Freedoms & Rights Coalition leader Brian Tamaki, has been branded as a chance for the public to try the Government through the "people's court" with charges of "crimes against humanity", according to social media posts by Tamaki's coalition.
Along the way, the protesters are making pit stops at iconic towns and landmarks including Tauranga, where they gathered opposite a cafe at Sulphur Point at 10.30am yesterday.
Before the protest convoy drove off, just after 11am, one of the protesters said a karakia and wished the other members of their group a safe journey.
As the convoy of vehicles drove off and headed to Pilot Bay, they were followed by police in patrol cars. The protesters did a loop of Pilot Bay, they drove along Ocean Beach and Golf Rds before heading to Taupō via Rotorua.
Some of the protesters also had written messages on the sides and windows of their vehicles, with marker pens, including "No more government lies, tell the truth," "Wake Up NZ, to the truth" and "This Government Must Go!, No More Control".
None of the 20 to 25 protesters were willing to give their names to the Bay of Plenty Times.
One protester said: "I'm here because the government has let us down, especially with their lack of transparency and telling lies about the Covid-19 vaccine mandate."
Another from Tauranga wearing a Covid-19 anti-vaccine mandate T-shirt, said she did not believe in discrimination of any form.
In her opinion: "The government's stance on people getting the vaccine is a highly-visible undermining of our rights and freedoms to choose what we do with our bodies, and it's got to stop. This government has to go."
Another protester, who described herself as a concerned Tauranga resident, said the protest was no longer just about the Covid vaccination.
"It's about the Government's stance over our lands, our education, how we mix with people of diversity, and their lack of transparency and undermining of our rights."
Tauranga Freedoms & Rights Coalition protest held at Sulphur Point. Photo / Sandra Conchie
One protester waving a United Tribes flag became quite agitated when about eight police officers turned up and parked their patrol cars close to the protest vehicles.
The man told the police to '**** off," and said he and the other members of the protest group were just exercising their right to "fight for our freedoms".
On Tamaki's Coalition's website, there is a post that reads, "Let's Get NZ Back Again - Our Country is in Crisis - Not One More Minute of Labour Pains! This Government Must Go."
Hundreds of people from around the country are expected to converge on Wellington late today in preparation for a mass march tomorrow morning.
A woman, who described herself as someone helping organise the Tauranga convoy, said about 40,000 protesters were expected to converge on the Parliament grounds.
Police are threatening arrest and prosecution if those who were trespassed from Parliament in the previous protest return.
Concrete blocks and temporary fencing have been erected around the Beehive, blocking off several entry points to Parliament.
