It has been a year since the violent end of the illegal occupation at Parliament in Aotearoa New Zealand. If you thought you had seen it all at the time, you should think again.

Boiling Point, a new documentary from RNZ, includes previously unseen footage of clashes at Parliament on 2 March 2022, when police broke up an illegal occupation of the area.

It is the first feature broadcast to provide a straightforward account of the final day of one of Aotearoa’s most infamous protests.

The documentary, produced and presented by RNZ Morning Report host Corin Dann, was released today.

Previously unseen footage gives fresh insight into the rage that overtook some people. And eyewitness accounts take us back to the chaos, confusion and shock of it all.

The Boiling Point trailer.  Video: RNZ

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Protesters blocked roads in central Auckland this afternoon for the second time in two weeks, marching past the main entrance to the city’s hospital.

The Auckland motorway onramp used by protesters two weeks ago was closed ahead of another rally at the Auckland Domain today.

Aucklanders were warned to prepare for traffic disruption in the central city.

The Brian Tamaki-led Freedom and Rights Coalition gathered at the Domain for a “Kiwi Patriots Day and March” before a crowd of about 1000 marched out onto the streets about 1.30pm.

After passing Auckland City Hospital and over the Grafton Bridge, the protesters turned up Symonds St, before heading down Khyber Pass Road past the closed on-ramp and back towards the domain, where the crowd dispersed.

Auckland City East Area Commander Inspector Jim Wilson said it was a “peaceful protest, which police monitored accordingly”.

He said while there were no arrests or incidents of note, a review phase in the coming weeks will determine if any follow-up action is required.

‘Balancing the safety … with protest’
“The police focus today remained on balancing the safety of all protesters and the public, while acknowledging the right to protest peacefully and lawfully,” he said.

“We note the activity did disrupt traffic in central Auckland where some motorway on and off-ramps were temporarily closed by Waka Kotahi to minimise further disruption.

“These have now reopened and there are no further network issues.

“We would like to thank the members of the public who deferred their travel through the affected areas today and acknowledge those that were inconvenienced.”

Counter-protesters were also in the area today.

Two weeks ago, about 1000 coalition members swarmed onto Auckland’s southern motorway, causing significant problems for traffic.

Ahead of today’s protest, Waka Kotahi closed both the Khyber Pass on/off-ramps — used by the protesters last time — and the Symonds St on/off-ramps, although these have now reopened.

Protesters were demonstrating over a range of anti-government issues, including against public health measures in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Most people welcomed the opportunity to get vaccinated against covid-19, yet a non-trivial minority did not. Vaccine-resistant people tend to hold strong views and assertively reject conventional medical or public health recommendations.

This is puzzling to many, and the issue has become a flashpoint in several countries.

It has resulted in strained relationships, even within families, and at a macro-level has threatened social cohesion, such as during the month-long protest on Parliament grounds in Wellington, New Zealand.

This raises the question: where do these strong, often visceral anti-vaccination sentiments spring from? As lifecourse researchers we know that many adult attitudes, traits and behaviours have their roots in childhood.

This insight prompted us to enquire about vaccine resistance among members of the long-running Dunedin Study, which marks 50 years this month.

Specifically, we surveyed study members about their vaccination intentions between April and July 2021, just prior to the national vaccine roll out which began in New Zealand in August 2021. Our findings support the idea that anti-vaccination views stem from childhood experiences.

The Dunedin Study, which has followed a 1972-73 birth cohort, has amassed a wealth of information on many aspects of the lives of its 1037 participants, including their physical health and personal experiences as well as long-standing values, motives, lifestyles, information-processing capacities and emotional tendencies, going right back to childhood.

Almost 90 percent of the Dunedin Study members responded to our 2021 survey about vaccination intent. We found 13 pecent of our cohort did not plan to be vaccinated (with similar numbers of men and women).

When we compared the early life histories of those who were vaccine resistant to those who were not we found many vaccine-resistant adults had histories of adverse experiences during childhood, including abuse, maltreatment, deprivation or neglect, or having an alcoholic parent.

These experiences would have made their childhood unpredictable and contributed to a lifelong legacy of mistrust in authorities, as well as seeding the belief that “when the proverbial hits the fan you’re on your own”.

Our findings are summarised in this figure.

Personality tests at age 18 showed people in the vaccine-resistant group were vulnerable to frequent extreme emotions of fear and anger. They tended to shut down mentally when under stress.

They also felt fatalistic about health matters, reporting at age 15 on a scale called “health locus of control” that there is nothing people can do to improve their health. As teens they often misinterpreted situations by unnecessarily jumping to the conclusion they were being threatened.

The resistant group also described themselves as non-conformists who valued personal freedom and self-reliance over following social norms. As they grew older, many experienced mental health problems characterised by apathy, faulty decision-making and susceptibility to conspiracy theories.

Negative emotions combine with cognitive difficulties
To compound matters further, some vaccine-resistant study members had cognitive difficulties since childhood, along with their early-life adversities and emotional vulnerabilities. They had been poor readers in high school and scored low on the study’s tests of verbal comprehension and processing speed.

These tests measure the amount of effort and time a person requires to decode incoming information.

Such longstanding cognitive difficulties would certainly make it difficult for anyone to comprehend complicated health information under the calmest of conditions. But when comprehension difficulties combine with the extreme negative emotions more common among vaccine-resistant people, this can lead to vaccination decisions that seem inexplicable to health professionals.

Today, New Zealand has achieved a very high vaccination rate (95 percent of those eligible above the age of 12), which is approximately 10 percent higher than in England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland and 20 percent higher than in the US.

More starkly, the New Zealand death rate per million population is currently 71. This compares favourably to other democracies such as the US with 2,949 deaths per million (40 times New Zealand’s rate), UK at 2,423 per million (34 times) and Canada at 991 per million (14 times).

How to overcome vaccine resistance
How then do we reconcile our finding that 13 percent of our cohort were vaccine resistant and the national vaccination rate now sits at 95 percent? There are a number of factors that helped drive the rate this high.

They include:

• Good leadership and clear communication from both the prime minster and director-general of health
• leveraging initial fear about the arrival of new variants, delta and omicron
• widespread implementation of vaccine mandates and border closure, both of which have become increasingly controversial
• the devolution by government of vaccination responsibilities to community groups, particularly those at highest risk such as Māori, Pasifika and those with mental health challenges.

A distinct advantage of the community-driven approach is that it harnesses more intimate knowledge about people and their needs, thereby creating high(er) trust for decision-making about vaccination.

This is consistent with our findings which highlight the importance of understanding individual life histories and different ways of thinking about the world – which are both attributable to adversities experienced by some people early in life. This has the added benefit of encouraging a more compassionate view towards vaccine resistance, which might ultimately translate into higher rates of vaccine preparedness.

For many, the move from a one-size-fits-all approach occurred too slowly and this is an important lesson for the future. Another lesson is that achieving high vaccination rates has not been free of “cost” to individuals, families and communities. It has been a struggle to persuade many citizens to get vaccinated and it would be unrealistic not to expect some residual resentment or anger among those most heavily affected by these decisions.

Preparing for the next pandemic
Covid-19 is unlikely to be the last pandemic. Recommendations about how governments should prepare for future pandemics often involve medical technology solutions such as improvements in testing, vaccine delivery and treatments, as well as better-prepared hospitals.

Other recommendations emphasise economic solutions such as a world pandemic fund, more resilient supply chains and global coordination of vaccine distribution. The contribution of our research is the appreciation that citizens’ vaccine resistance is a lifelong psychological style of misinterpreting information during crisis situations that is laid down before high school age.

We recommend that national preparation for future pandemics should include preventive education to teach school children about virus epidemiology, mechanisms of infection, infection-mitigating behaviours and vaccines. Early education can prepare the public to appreciate the need for hand-washing, mask-wearing, social distancing and vaccination.

Early education about viruses and vaccines could provide citizens with a pre-existing knowledge framework, reduce citizens’ level of uncertainty in a future pandemic, prevent emotional stress reactions and enhance openness to health messaging. Technology and money are two key tools in a pandemic-preparedness strategy, but the third vital tool should be a prepared citizenry.

The takeaway messages are twofold. First, do not scorn or belittle vaccine-resistant people, but rather attempt to glean a deeper understanding on “where they’re coming from” and try to address their concerns without judgement. This is best achieved by empowering the local communities that vaccine resisters are most likely to trust.

The second key insight points to a longer-term strategy that involves education about pandemics and the value of vaccinations in protecting the community. This needs to begin when children are young, and of course it must be delivered in an age-appropriate way. This would be wise simply because, when it comes to future pandemics, it’s not a matter of if, but when.

Dr Richie Poulton, CNZM FRSNZ, director of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health & Development Research Unit (DMHDRU), University of Otago; Dr Avshalom Caspi, professor, Duke University, and Dr Terrie Moffitt, Nannerl O. Keohane University Professor of Psychology, Duke University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A man whose personal bank account was used to receive donations for New Zealand’s Parliament protest is bankrupt and has been declared insolvent three times.

The protest lasted for 23 days before ending in a riot on March 2 when police cracked down on the protesters.

Jamie Patrick Mansfield has built a social media following by posting antivax and conspiratorial content as Jae Ratana.

He often livestreamed events from the protest in Wellington, but also posted similarly conspiratorial content for months before the occupation.

However, the 35-year-old, who is also known as Jamie Murray, has a history of unpaid debt.

Mansfield was first declared bankrupt after applying for the process himself in the Rotorua District Court in December 2008, at which time he listed his occupation as unemployed.

Mansfield was automatically discharged as bankrupt in December 2011 but again applied for bankruptcy in July 2012, this time listing his occupation as a student.

He was again automatically discharged three years later and remained solvent for five years until again applying to be declared bankrupt in June 2020.

Mansfield’s latest bankruptcy remains current.

He also had a tenancy terminated in early 2020 after failing to pay rent.

The Tenancy Tribunal awarded the landlord $2770 — $1650 of which was recovered via a bond, but the balance remains outstanding.

Despite Mansfield’s background, his bank account was used to receive donations for Convoy NZ 2022, the group which instigated what became the protest and later occupation at Parliament grounds through February and early March.

RNZ understands Mansfield never disclosed his financial history to the group, and used the name Jae Ratana.

It was by no means the biggest group seeking donations in New Zealand’s antivax and anti-mandate circles, however, RNZ has seen evidence that thousands of dollars of donations to the group came flooding into Mansfield’s bank account by early February.

At least $14,000 had been deposited in just a few days.

How much was ultimately deposited into Mansfield’s bank account, where that money ended up and how it was spent remains unclear.

Mansfield and the organisers of the convoy group fell out, and just a few days into the occupation were not communicating.

Donations ‘signed off, triple checked’
RNZ attempted to contact Mansfield to get his side of the story.

When we first approached him via social media he responded there was “absolutely nothing to discuss”.

When pushed about the money raised and how it was spent, he responded: “There were so many people/groups collecting the pūtea [funds] and there also is a difference between koha and donation and as far as the groups I’m part of have [sic] concerned [sic] they have been signed off and accounted for and it’s been tripled check so as far as I’m concerned there is nothing further to talk about nor will the team be happy me speaking to a reported [sic] but I unfortunately do not trust any reporters either as story’s [sic] love to be twisted.”

When asked what he meant by the groups he was part of having things signed off, accounted for and triple checked, he responded: “No further questions thank u”.

He followed up with: “When u are ready I would love to see the so called information u have got”, “Then we will correct what is needed because I can guarantee you you do not have truthful information” and “I can probably stomp on what Information-hearsay you have”, before subsequently blocking this reporter from contacting him on Facebook.

Rumours have swirled on social media about the whereabouts of the money raised since the early days of the occupation.

Mansfield took to Facebook on March 8 to address the rumours: “Just to clarify and get that story straight, obviously the Convoy and occupation of Parliament I did help fund out of my personal money. For anyone who knows me personally, can back me up there.

“So I did help sponsor and donate to convoy. I did not steal any money. I did not help myself to any money,” he claimed in the livestream.

RNZ spoke to people who had known Mansfield personally and they say he has a long history of leaving people out of pocket.

‘An exceptionally bad tenant’ – landlord
One such person was the landlord who took Mansfield to the Tenancy Tribunal and ultimately had him evicted for unpaid rent and bills, and damage to the property.

He told RNZ he had still not seen the balance of the money he was owed by Mansfield.

“Jamie … was an exceptionally bad tenant who continually made promises he didn’t keep … I hope to never see him again,” the landlord, who RNZ agreed not to name, said.

Problems with the tenancy became clear almost as soon as Mansfield moved in as he was late with his rent for five of the first six weeks he lived in the rental and arrears grew from there, the landlord said.

“I knew he was a bad egg from the start and I was like ‘What the hell have I done letting this guy move into my house’ and then it was just a matter of following due process to get him out.

“He left the place in an absolute state. There was broken furniture and broken beds. I’ve got photos of a mountain full of rubbish that I had to drag out of the house, then get a company . . . come to pick it up to the tune of $300.

“He made no attempt to clean up after himself and just doesn’t give much regard to other people.”

RNZ again tried contacting Mansfield through his back-up accounts on social media to clarify how he came to be the one receiving donations, what aspects of his history he disclosed to the Convoy group and to find out how much money was received and how it was used.

He did not respond to those messages.

Group raises more than $60,000 by early March
The financing of the Parliament protest and occupation remains murky.

Weeks ago RNZ asked Voices For Freedom and The Freedoms and Rights Coalition for information on their finances — they did not respond.

One group that did give a glimpse into the huge sums of money involved was Profest.

Profest NZ Limited was incorporated on February 21 with Paul Currie as its sole director and shareholder.

Profest’s website publicly showed it raised more than $20,000 in online donations in just a few days and had raised more than $66,000 by March 4.

Currie, a Whangārei resident with business and property interests around New Zealand, said Profest was created to try to tie together the disparate and sometimes differing voices and movements at the protest.

He said he set it up because it was necessary to give the occupation “a little bit more of a format”.

Profest did not start collecting donations until over a week after the occupation began.

“Profest was late in the piece, involved more for directing some of the donations that were contributed but was by no means the most significant — financially — donation collector,” Currie told RNZ.

Unlike Voices For Freedom, The Freedoms and Rights Coalition or Jamie Mansfield, Currie spoke to RNZ freely and over a 38-minute conversation offered details about how donations to Profest were spent.

He could not offer a definitive sum on how much money was raised between on-the-ground cash donations, online donations and BitCoin, however, he said the group was committed to providing a financial summary to all who donated and that would occur in “due course”.

Only a “nominal” sum of what was donated remained and accounts were still being settled, Currie said.

Some of the larger infrastructure costs and ongoing food costs of the protest had fallen on Profest to pay, Currie said.

He had not taken any director’s fees or remuneration related to Profest NZ Ltd.

“I’m not in it for any personal financial gain,” Currie said.

When the protest ended Profest stopped calling for donations and closed the donation function on its website, unlike Voices For Freedom and The Freedoms and Rights Coalition which were still collecting donations.

Currie also said he was unaware of who Jae Ratana or Jamie Mansfield was. He did not believe he met him at the protest and he did not believe Mansfield had contributed financially to Profest.

RNZ understands a complaint was made to police regarding the whereabouts of money given to Mansfield.

“While investigations are ongoing we are not in a position to provide any comment relating to particular individuals/ groups,” police said in a statement to RNZ.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Police have made 60 arrests today as part of a pre-planned operation to remove anti-covid public health protesters from New Zealand’s Parliament grounds.

Police have been descending on Parliament from early this morning on day 23 of the occupation and have also begun towing larger vehicles, including campervans and trucks.

They say they have gained significant ground this morning across the occupation.

Police have asked the public and commuters to avoid the area near Parliament and say they will continue to help those who want to leave the grounds to do so safely.

Hill Street is closed, and many surrounding streets to the protest have been blocked.

Protesters have reacted by throwing cones at police.

Police staff in and around the protest area have sighted protesters in possession of various weapons. These include homemade plywood shields and pitchforks.

One man told RNZ he wanted to move his car because it was all he owned.

There were reports of forklifts on the move, and police were also taking down more tents.

Around 60 people have now been arrested in relation to this morning’s operation at Parliament grounds.

Police continue to tow vehicles that are parked illegally. We have commenced towing larger vehicles, which includes trucks, vans and campervans.

— New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) March 1, 2022

One of the RNZ reporters on the scene said they were being abused by protesters and told to leave.

The Kīngitanga is calling for a peaceful resolution to the occupation at Parliament and other sites across the country.

In a statement, a spokesperson said the Kīngitanga had not given its support to any occupation and claims to the contrary were untrue.

They said Kiingi Tuheitia had been a strong advocate for the covid public health response, while acknowledging the impact on people and their families.

The Kīngitanga said its priority was to get through omicron and start preparing for a life after covid.

The Kīngitanga said it was calling for a peaceful resolution to the occupation at Parliament and other protest sites across the country.

#WATCH Hundreds of police, many in riot gear, are moving in on protesters occupying Parliament and the surrounding streets.

Here is what our reporters saw throughout the morning.https://t.co/GcuivdbAuR

— Morning Report (@NZMorningReport) March 1, 2022

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Almost 30 community leaders of New Zealand’s capital Wellington have banded together to urge an immediate end of the illegal protest activities at Parliament.

Among those who have signed the joint statement are the region’s mayors, MPs, principals and business leaders.

The letter says Wellingtonians and city workers have been “intimidated” by protesters, and some residents have reported being “too distressed and frightened to leave their homes”.

A number of businesses have had to close to protect staff.

The community leaders say the people of Wellington have had enough of this illegal anti-mandates activity and it is time for the harassment and disruption to end.

Record 1929 new community cases
The Ministry of Health today reported a record 1929 new community cases of covid-19 in New Zealand.

In a statement, the ministry said 1384 of the new cases were in the Auckland district health boards (DHBs), with the remaining cases in Northland (13), Waikato (155), Bay of Plenty (58), Lakes (9), Hawke’s Bay (17), MidCentral (3), Whanganui (11), Taranaki (9), Tairāwhiti (8), Wairarapa (5), Capital and Coast (28), Hutt Valley (50), Nelson Marlborough (60), Canterbury (35), South Canterbury (7) and Southern (77).

There are 73 people in hospital with the coronavirus, with one in ICU. Seven of the cases are in Waikato Hospital, with others in Auckland, Rotorua, Tauranga, Wellington, Tairawhiti and MidCentral hospitals.

The previous record of 1573 new community cases was reported yesterday, 1140 of them in Auckland.

There were also 18 cases reported at the border today.

There have now been 26,544 cases of covid-19 in New Zealand since the pandemic began.

‘Resolution opportunity’ passed over
Meanwhile, former New Conservative leader Leighton Baker said politicians had had an opportunity to resolve the Parliament protest eight days ago.

“They never did anything and the longer they leave it, the bigger it gets. The responsibility is on their shoulders to talk to the people.

“You’ve got to talk to the people. The ball’s in their court.”

Baker describes himself as an “intermediary” — not a protest leader.

As the protest continues, Wellington transport operator Metlink is receiving more reports of people not wearing masks on its trains and busses.

It said its frontline workers were not expected to risk their own health and safety by enforcing mask wearing.

Wellington City Council has increased security around the city after a spike in verbal abuse and aggression against members of the public.

Increasing incidents of aggression
The council said retail workers had reported increasing incidents of maskless customers and of people becoming aggressive when asked to put a mask on.

Close to the protest site, the owner of a cafe and catering business on Molesworth Street says patronage is well below normal because customers can not park nearby and cafe regulars are all working from home.

The Word of Mouth Cafe and Catering owner said while it had remained open since the protest began, staff were working reduced hours and some had taken leave because there was no work for them to do.

No-one had been rude and tried to enter without a mask or vaccine passport, but the presence of protesters was greatly affecting her customer base, the owner said.

Suppliers were also reluctant to come in, with some who used to come every day now reducing that to every second or third day.

The full letter:
“We the undersigned ask that the current illegal protest activities in and around the Parliament precinct end immediately. There is a right to peaceful protest in New Zealand that it is important to uphold. However, this protest has gone well beyond that point.

“Those who live, work and go to school and university have been subjected to significant levels of abuse and harassment when attempting to move about in the area. There has been intimidation to Wellingtonians and city workers, and some residents have reported being too frightened or distressed to leave their homes.

“The vehicles associated with the protest are illegally blocking roads that are preventing Wellingtonians moving freely, including using public transport, posing a risk to the movement of emergency services, and are severely disrupting businesses. A number of businesses have had to close to protect their staff, while for others customers cannot access these businesses. The [Victoria] University has needed to close its Pipitea campus, disrupting teaching and learning.

“Police have issued trespass notices for those on Parliamentary and university grounds. We remind the protesters this city and these streets are those of Wellingtonians who have the right to access them freely and without fear.

“The people of Wellington have had enough of this illegal activity, harassment and disruption, we ask that it end immediately.”

Alex Beijen — South Wairarapa Mayor

Andy Foster — Wellington City Mayor

Anita Baker — Porirua City Mayor

Barbara McKerrow — Wellington City Council CEO

Bernadette Murfitt — Principal Sacred Heart School Thorndon

Campbell Barry — Hutt City Mayor

Daran Ponter — on behalf of Metlink

Fleur Fitzsimons — Wellington City Councillor

Grant Guildford — Vice-Chancellor, Victoria University of Wellington

Grant Robertson — MP for Wellington Central [and deputy Prime Minister]

Greg Lang — Carterton District Mayor

James Shaw — Green List MP based in Wellington

Jenny Condie — Wellington City Councillor

John Allen — CEO Wellington NZ

Julia Davidson — Principal, Wellington Girls College

K. Gurunathan — Kapiti District Mayor

Kerry Davies — Secretary of the Public Service Association

Laurie Foon — Wellington City Councillor

Lyn Patterson — Masterton District Mayor

Murray Edridge — Wellington City Missioner

Nicola Young — Wellington City Councillor

Paul Retimanu — director of Manaaki Management and president of Hospitality Wellington, New Zealand

Rebecca Matthews — Wellington City Councillor

Sarah Free — Wellington City Deputy Mayor

Simon Arcus — Wellington Chamber of Commerce CEO

Tamatha Paul — Wellington City Councillor

Teri O’Neill — Wellington City Councillor

Wayne Guppy — Upper Hutt City Mayor

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Zealand’s Police Commissioner admits some tow companies are reluctant to help with the removal of vehicles near Parliament but says some towing will begin today.

The anti-mandate protest on Parliament’s grounds and neighbouring streets is entering its ninth day.

Commissioner Andrew Coster told RNZ Morning Report he expected to see some of those vehicles towed today although it was unclear how many tow truck operators would take part.

The police action comes as the Ministry of Health reported 744 new community cases of covid-19 in New Zealand yesterday — a drop after consecutive record days that had seen omicron case numbers surge.

On Sunday, 981 new community cases of covid-19 were reported in the country.

A tow truck operator has told RNZ that the real reason the police have had difficulties getting towies to move vehicles was because many of them are sympathetic to the protesters’ cause.

Greg Cox, who owns Wellington’s Cox Heavy Salvage, said he has been contacted twice by police, and he has told them his vehicles are not available.

He said operators in the top half of the North Island are also refusing to help police.

Commissioner Coster agreed that there had been some reluctance by tow companies to be involved.

He said they had had some “constructive engagement” with operators and some may still be willing to play a part.

Some towies threatened
Some have said they have been threatened, while others say their vehicles are unavailable.

He said it was hard to gauge why the tow truck companies were reluctant and if they were sympathetic to the protesters.

“It’s hard for me to speak for what’s driving them but it’s clear that they are reluctant, and that’s very similar to the the treatment we saw overseas. Canada particularly has had a real problem with it.”

Police are in touch with the NZ Defence Force with a view to them helping with the removal operation.

“They have some capability, it won’t be the whole answer to the problem.”

Police have “some other tow capability” that they can draw on using some towing firms but he refused to discuss specifics.

“I expect you will see some tow activity today.”

Constructive dialogue
Constructive dialogue is also occurring with some of the protesters and he expects some of them will move their vehicles to a free parking area at Sky Stadium also.

“So that will be part of the answer.”

Police will hold on to the vehicles they remove and probably the courts will decide what happens in terms of them being returned to their owners.

“That’s the message to the protesters who are parked illegally — move your car to the stadium and we’ll not have any further interest in it.

“Leave it where it is and we will take it and we won’t be giving it back any time soon.”

Commissioner Coster is keen for a careful approach from police so they do not escalate the anger and resentment among protesters.

“It does call for patience. I know how frustrating the situation is for all concerned. It’s an unacceptable impact on people in the central city but we just have to work it through.”

Actions are unlawful
Commissioner Coster said while it was not the police’s aim to arrest the protesters, aspects of their actions were unlawful.

These included the extended blocking of the roads which was the biggest problem and extensive structures that have been erected on Parliament’s grounds.

Asked if Wellington police were caught out by the erection of tents at Parliament, where camping overnight is not allowed, Coster said the law around protest did not allow police many options early on to shut it down.

It was a balancing act, he said.

“Clearly this protest has crossed the line but the problem we have in the early stages is it might not have crossed the line but by then you have got a big problem on your hands.”

Morning Report invited protest organisers on to the programme to discuss their intentions for moving their vehicles but they said they were not yet ready to comment.

They have released a statement — issued on behalf of half a dozen groups including the so-called Voices for Freedom — which said they had been working with police on traffic management and were mindful of public safety and minimising disruption to those living and working in Wellington.

Towies are frightened – Wellington mayor
Wellington City Council has been engaging with towies who are under significant pressure, says mayor Andy Foster.

Some of them have been threatened over taking on the job of removing protesters’ vehicles and he was unaware of any who were sympathetic to the protesters.

“The feedback I’ve had, and I know they’ve been spoken to by our senior management, they are frightened.”

The towing of the vehicles was outside any contracts the council held with tow truck operators for vehicles parked illegally in the city.

Foster said it was unacceptable that the towies felt unsafe about accepting the work.

The mayor has visited the protest site several times and while most people seemed to be peaceful the site was “potentially intimidating”.

Offensive signs – nooses
Asked about offensive signs, such as pictures of nooses, Foster responded: “I think they would all do themselves a big favour if they stopped anybody behaving badly or they got rid of some of those signs.

“They would do everybody a favour. They would look more credible in the eyes of the public but those sorts of things will always let any movement down.”

Foster said he wanted people to be able to move freely around the streets without the fear of being threatened or abused.

“We want business to be back operating. We want all those the day before yesterday so as quickly as it can be done is good.

“But we’re working closely with police, supporting the police in the way they want.”

‘Impinging on others’ freedoms’ – Luxon
Protesters are calling for freedom but their actions are impacting on the freedom of others, opposition National Party leader Christopher Luxon says.

He told Morning Report he was pleased there were plans to move protesters’ vehicles because of the inconvenience to residents trying to get to schools and work and emergency services needing to move freely around the city.

He did not want to comment on the reluctance of tow truck operators to get involved because they were sympathetic to the protesters’ cause.

He preferred to leave it to the police who he trusted would sort it out.

Luxon, like the government, had no intention of engaging with protesters because they had no defined leadership and they were difficult to deal with because their issues covered such a wide range.

“They range from white supremacists to separatists and everything in between,” he said.

“There’s a wide range of issues from what we can gather from signage and things that range from anti-authority to anti-vaccination to anti-mandates…

‘Really anti-social and abusive’
“It’s tough when you come here and want to protest about freedoms and you actually end up impinging on others’ freedoms and the tone has been really anti-social and abusive.”

Luxon said the protesters should follow the rule of law and be respectful of others.

They did not seem to be taking into consideration that as a result of the occupation small businesses in the area were suffering.

Regarding his call for a timeline on the vaccine mandate, he said as omicron became endemic in a community the effectiveness of vaccine passes and mandates diminishes.

He believed there needed to be a discussion on the criteria and triggers for when the timeline could be put in place for their removal.

“There’s lots of other countries in the world who fundamentally as they’ve gone through this have had to say how they step out of it as well.”

The country was “in for quite a ride over the coming weeks and months” as omicron became endemic which was the pattern overseas so there should be clarity on the criteria for removing restrictions.

He said National did not want to see hospitality and tourism businesses fall over after two years of the pandemic and called on the government to defer spending on light rail and health restructuring and instead support the hardest hit sectors.

In response to rightwing blogger Cameron Slater’s criticism that Luxon was “hiding behind [Prime Minister] Jacinda Ardern’s skirts” regarding the protest, he said he did not know Slater and the National Party had been clear about its views on the protest from the start.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The protest against covid-19 protection measures has continued through its fifth day with police saying new tents and marquees had been erected while police have strengthened protective barriers.

There are now three barriers between protesters and police in some places on Parliament grounds. This morning concrete blocks were placed before the orange and white plastic barriers.

Ambulance for protester blocked on road
In a statement, Superintendent Scott Fraser said police remained at Parliament grounds overnight to monitor the activity of protesters.

Earlier in the evening, a protester within the grounds needed medical attention, but this was delayed because an ambulance was unable to drive directly to him due to the protesters’ vehicles blocking the surrounding roads.

Molesworth Street remains blocked by more than 100 vehicles including large trucks, campervans and cars.

Fraser said ambulance staff had to walk “some distance” to get to the man, who was waiting with officers.

‘Empathy and professionalism’
“Despite the very difficult environment, our staff, and our Wellington Free Ambulance colleagues, acted with empathy and professionalism, ensuring this man got the medical treatment he needed.”

Fraser said there was one arrest overnight for a breach of bail conditions, but there had been no arrests this morning.

A deluge from Cyclone Dovi has drenched anti-mandate protesters.

MetService issued a heavy rain warning for Wellington which will be in place until 3pm Sunday and strong winds were forecast in the capital today.

More people joined the crowd today in spite of the rain, taking numbers up to about 1000.

Now under a sea of tents and umbrellas, the Parliament lawn is beginning to resemble a monsoon-sodden marketplace.

A battle of the music speakers started up at Parliament this evening as Speaker Trevor Mallard played the likes of Barry Manilow and the Macarena through speakers inside Parliament buildings. He has also been playing covid-19 vaccination advertisements.

Mallard said the 15-minute loop of music and covid-19 ads would be on repeat and possibly play through the night.

Most of the protesters greeted the tunes with boos and played back We’re Not Going to Take It by Twisted Sister on their own speakers.

Use of haka criticised
The New Zealand Herald reports that protesters had performed Ka Mate — New Zealand’s most famous haka — in spite of requests from the Ngāti Toa iwi for anti-vaxxer protesters to stay away from it.

Ngāti Toa has condemned the use of their haka at anti-vaccination protests.

“As the descendants of Te Rauparaha, we insist that protesters stop using our taonga immediately,” one of the iwi’s leaders, Dr Taku Parai, said.

“We do not support their position and we do not want our tupuna or our iwi associated with their messages.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson has warned that although people have a right to protest when “they threaten, harass and disrupt people and a whole city they lose that right”.

In a post on Facebook, Robertson — who is also Finance Minister and MP for Central Wellington where the five-day-old Parliament protest is happening — said he was contacted by many constituents this week who were distressed at what was happening in the city.

“School pupils spat at and harassed for wearing a mask, roads blocked delaying public transport and emergency services and businesses shut down,” he said.

Robertson said there had also been threats of violence against politicians and the media.

The protester threats came as New Zealand had a record 454 community cases today — up on yesterday’s previous record — as omicron cases begin to surge.

“Looking down on a protest that wants to hang me as a politician, a sign that compares the Prime Minister to the March 15th terrorist, calls for arrest and execution of me and other leaders you might understand why I believe the police need to move them on.”

Robertson acknowledged that protest was an important part of democracy, but said that “like all freedoms it comes with responsibilities”.

He said in the past he had led protests onto Parliament grounds and discussed with those involved that if they crossed certain lines they would be arrested.

‘Threatening a whole city’
“I was always of the view that the cause or the issue was what mattered most, and we would strive to make our point, and then move on to live to fight another day,” he said.

Robertson said people lose the right to protest when “they threaten, harass and disrupt people and a whole city”.

He said the protesters at Parliament had been trespassed and needed to leave.

Robertson thanked police for doing a difficult job in trying conditions and said it was up to them how they enforced the law.

He said as Wellington Central’s local MP he had been in regular contact with police and the city council to support the rights of those in the capital “to go about their lives free from harassment and severe disruption”.

“I am confident that this will happen, though it will no doubt take some time,” he said.

Robertson said the high vaccination rates reassured him that the protesters only represented a small minority.

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More than 50 police have formed a ring around the front of New Zealand’s Parliament today edging up to a line of protesters who have linked arms lining up in front of the Cenotaph.

One person speaking said he would walk up the Parliament steps at 3pm and get arrested, inviting others in the crowd to join, saying “see you at 3pm” to cheers from the crowd.

The group is part of a convoy which travelled to the capital Wellington yesterday to protest against covid-19 vaccine mandates.

Steel barriers have been put up in front of the protesters.

The crowd was still largely peaceful but some were heckling police and the temperature was starting to rise.

Protesters who spent the night camped on Parliament grounds have been warned they could be issued with a trespass notice.

About 1000 people and hundreds of vehicle converged on Parliament grounds yesterday, and at least 100 people camped overnight.

Trucks and other vehicles are blocking Molesworth Street.

Police issued a statement late last night saying they were monitoring the situation and were talking with the Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard.

The protest scene today outside Parliament. Video: RNZ News

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Protesters have been given a letter from the Speaker setting out Parliament’s rules, which prohibit staying overnight on the grounds and ban tents or other structures.

Specific policies mentioned in the letter include leaving the grounds in an orderly manner and not interfering with traffic.

“Participants must assemble within and disperse from the grounds in an orderly manner, and so as to not interfere with the flow of vehicular traffic.”

It also mentions that tents and structures are banned from the grounds.

“No erection of tents or any structure is permitted other than hand held signs … structures including tents as mentioned above are not permitted and if not removed when requested, are liable for confiscation.”

It said if the rules were breached people could be trespassed and their equipment confiscated.

“In line with these existing policies, please disassemble any tents or structures and remove them from the grounds. Do not continue protests or demonstrations on the grounds after dark. The breach of the above policies and failure to carry out the actions may result in trespass notices being issued.”

There are also campervans parked in nearby streets and the police say Molesworth Street in front of Parliament is not accessible to traffic, and drivers should avoid the area this morning.

It is not clear how long the protesters will be allowed to stay.

Wellington City Council is talking with police about their options to deal with cars illegally blocking the roads and footpath near Parliament.

Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said if cars were to be removed there would be resources needed.

He said the council wants to avoid confrontation but are planning for if it were to arise.

Motorists are still being advised to avoid the area if possible.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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An estimated 1000 people in New Caledonia joined a protest march against the French government’s policies to fight the pandemic.

The unauthorised march in Noumea was held just a day after the government imposed a limit of 30 people for any outside gathering.

Police said that while the meeting was illegal, they did not intervene because many children were in the crowd.

However, according to the public broadcaster, police used teargas after the end of the rally to disperse some demonstrators.

The march was called to oppose a health pass required to enter venues, such as restaurants and museums, and to protest against the law making vaccinations mandatory.

The law, which is yet to be applied, was adopted last September just days before the territory’s delta outbreak, which rapidly infected thousands and killed more than 280 people.

Last Thursday, the first cases of the omicron variant were detected, renewing calls by the authorities to be prudent as the virus is expected to raise infection rates.

From yesterday, vaccinations have opened for children aged five and older.

Children aged 11 and older must wear masks in indoor settings.

About 65 percent of New Caledonia’s population has had at least two jabs, making it the most vaccinated French Pacific territory.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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An anti-vax protest that shut down the centre of Newmarket in New Zealand’s largest city Auckland today may have cost local businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost customers, says the local business association.

Hundreds gathered at 11am at the Auckland Domain before heading to Westfield Newmarket shopping mall via Carlton Gore Road and Broadway.

After gathering outside the mall, they then moved towards Government House in Epsom.

Newmarket Business Association head Mark Knoff-Thomas said the local stores were “very disappointed” by the behaviour of the protesters.

“We all accept that everyone has got the right to protest, but not when your protest ends up bringing a town centre to a standstill, where retailers and hospitality providers have to shut their doors just to be safe because there’s so many people storming down the street,” he said.

“I think it is shameless behaviour and very, very misguided.”

He said stores had high expectations for the day which had been shattered – the second day of Auckland opening up under red alert under the new traffic lights covid-19 system after almost four months in lockdown.

‘People got fed up’
“This should have been one of the best Saturdays of the year for us and the protesters certainly put paid to that because after they moved through Broadway, everybody left because traffic was snarled up and people got fed up and went home.

“It potentially lost Newmarket many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“I hope the protesters never come back to Newmarket ever again. If they want to protest, by all means do it somewhere where it doesn’t impact on business owners because it’s been one of the worst years for business people. Very stressful.

“A lot of people are financially on the ropes and all the protesters have done today is add more stress to those people.”

Earlier, Inspector Beth Houliston of Auckland police said officers were “closely monitoring” the protest activity.

“Our focus remains balancing the safety of all protesters and the public, with the right to peacefully protest.”

Traffic disrupted
Houliston said traffic in the area had been disrupted by the protesters.

“We would like to thank members of the public who have deferred their travel today.

“We also acknowledge those that have been inconvenienced.

“Police will follow-up any incidents of offending or concern identified during the protest activity.”

The protest organisers were calling the rally ‘the Mass Exodus’.

Protest in New Plymouth
Meanwhile, anti-vaccination protesters have again taken to the streets of New Plymouth.

About 200 protesters gathered at Puke Ariki before marching up Devon Street, the city’s main shopping area.

They chanted ‘freedom’ and carried placards calling on the government to end the vaccine mandate.

Many waved flags including campaign banners for former US president Donald Trump and the tino rangatiratanga or Māori flag, and the United Tribes of NZ flag.

Some of Auckland’s strict lockdown rules were eased yesterday, as the country moved to the new traffic light Covid-19 protection framework.

Police say fewer people converged on central Auckland last night compared to pre-covid-19 times.

But officers were kept busy dealing with disorder-related incidents, involving highly intoxicated people.

In one case, a person is in a serious condition after being assaulted on Karangahape Road.

A 22-year-old man has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He was due to appear in the Auckland District Court today.

98 new community cases
The Ministry of Health reported 98 new community cases of covid-19 in New Zealand today, with cases in Auckland, Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson Tasman and Canterbury.

In a statement, the ministry said there were 73 cases in hospital, including seven people in intensive care.

Today’s cases include three in Northland, 64 in Auckland, 21 in Waikato, six in the Bay of Plenty, one in Mangakino, two in Hawke’s Bay and one in Nelson Marlborough.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

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A View from Afar – Bannonism-Trumpism, a cultural ideological export – Political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning deep-dive into how Aotearoa New Zealand is in the cross-hairs of two distinct political powers – one has been around for awhile and applies influence operations aimed at elites; and the other is new to this part of the world and uses cultural and ideological diffusion that is aimed at civil society and aims to change the character of democracy itself. Can countries like New Zealand resist the slide into US-styled political chaos?

In this podcast we explore the under-defined, but hardly hidden, ideology that we will refer to as Bannonism-Trumpism.

So what is taking shape in New Zealand? Why is New Zealand a political lab-rat of sorts?

How is this battle taking place for the minds and political thinking of New Zealand voters?

What should you be aware of?

What political parties are most vulnerable to these two powerful external influences?

What is the end-game?

Is resistance achievable?

Join Paul and Selwyn for this LIVE recording of this podcast while they consider these big issues, and remember any comments you make while live can be included in this programme.

You can comment on this debate by clicking on one of these social media channels and interacting in the social media’s comment area. Here are the links:

• Facebook.com/selwyn.manning
• Youtube
• Twitter.com/Selwyn_Manning

If you miss the LIVE Episode, you can see it as video-on-demand, and earlier episodes too, by checking out EveningReport.nz or, subscribe to the Evening Report podcast here.

The MIL Network’s podcast A View from Afar was Nominated as a Top  Defence Security Podcast by Threat.Technology – a London-based cyber security news publication.

Threat.Technology placed A View from Afar at 9th in its 20 Best Defence Security Podcasts of 2021 category. You can follow A View from Afar via our affiliate syndicators.

PART 2: WS storytelling in more detail

In part one of my article on White Supremacy (WS), I articulated some of the features of the WS network in Aotearoa and positioned this framework along a spectrum. I attempted to introduce readers to a WS spectrum so people could better understand and then respond to the phenomenon of supremacy in Aotearoa.

In the first article, I argued that one of the features of the emergent WS framework in Aotearoa involved the development of narratives. This second article seeks to explore the question of WS storytelling in more detail.

Moreover, this article seeks to situate WS narratives within a storytelling framework to enable different communities to read supremacist messages as stories, contextualise them, and respond to them — from within the various standing places different communities occupy in time and space in Aotearoa.

White Supremacists (WS) have been very effective in articulating their narratives in a variety of ways during the covid-19 lockdown period. WS narratives are being disseminated across a range of media simultaneously.

The stories have been deployed in alternative media broadcasts; emails; Facebook comments, links, memes, posts, stories, video of live events; internet sites; political party press statements, political party policy documents, and even non-mainstream television shows to disseminate their stories on a wide array of issues.

Whether short or long, serious, or humorous, visual, or written, WS advocates are telling their stories and teaching their “lessons”. Such stories are being affirmed and disseminated in freedom marches and anti-vax protests — as videos of such gatherings attest.

WS messaging is occurring across multiple platforms as tracked by Hannah, Hattotuwa, and Taylor of The Disinformation Project.

Disseminating narratives
WS individuals, groups, and organisations are disseminating narratives to push their agendas. These stories include ones that illuminate:

• contempt for Te Tiriti;
• rejection of power sharing between Pakeha and Māori as articulated in Te Tiriti;
• antagonism towards Māori communities historical experience of colonialism;
• privileging of a mythology of peaceful and just race relations between Māori and Pakeha- thereby simultaneously erasing the racism experienced by Asians, Africans, Pacific peoples, and others in this land;
• desire by political parties in policies to end “race”-based privileges for Māori in health, law, or at the United Nations;
• vilification of the NZ Labour Party as “socialistic”;
• attacks on Māori activist, community, political, and scholarly leaders — and attempts to separate leaders from their peoples;
• attacks on the United Nations and governments as “cabals of evil”;
• contempt for migrants and migrant rights;
• lauding of former US President Donald Trump, Republicans, or QAnon leader, “Q”; and
• intolerance and bigotry expressed towards Māori, Jews, Muslims, and other communities.

I have identified only 11 narratives that privilege WS in the list above. There are many other stories contributing to what is a diverse WS movement.

I cannot articulate a framework illuminating how WS advocates are using video, meme, comments, or policy documents aesthetics to tell their stories because I do not have the space or time here. But what I can offer is an analysis of WS storytelling to empower communities to “close read” the stories WS supporters are telling in their deployment of different media.

We need to develop frameworks to intercept, assess, and respond to these narratives, so communities have the means of defending their lives, mana, and the sanctity of their communal stories in the face of a barrage of WS storytelling.

African, Arab, Asian, Jewish, Māori, Pacific, Palestinian, and Pakeha communities are grounded in (1) rich cultures; (2) values; (3) community spirit; (4) interpretive traditions; (5) reading traditions; (6) oral and communal storytelling traditions; and (7) wisdom and insight.

Deploy learning
I invite readers from different cultures to deploy their learning when considering the following issues concerning WS.

The first narrative I identified regarding WS frameworks above is the story of the contempt for Te Tiriti. We could ask:

• is the story of contempt for Te Tiriti based upon fact?
• is this story true?
• what beliefs about Māori and Te Tiriti must people hold to accept this story as “true?”
• who are the authors of the story of contempt for Te Tiriti?
• where do the stories come from?
• has this story been told in Aotearoa before covid 19-lockdowns in 2021?
• where is this story circulating?
• is this story being used to organise opposition to Māori communities?
• does this story uphold the mana of Māori communities?
• what values underpin this story?
• is this story connected to WS narratives coming from the US, Europe, Australia, or other foreign countries?
• is this story connected to other WS narratives circulating in contemporary Aotearoa today?
• is this story one being used to attack Māori community rights?
• what is the plot of the story of contempt for Te Tiriti?
• are there variations to the plot of this story?
• who are the key characters of this story?
• who are the heroes and who the villains in this story?
• what lessons does the story teach us?
• does this story resonate with the community beliefs, cultures, and values of many different Aotearoa communities?
• does this story attempt to erase the narratives of Māori communities?
• does this story attempt to distort the experience of Māori communities?
• does this story prevent the emergence of Māori community narratives?
• does this story foster better relationships between Māori and other communities in Aotearoa? and
• is this story good for communities, Aotearoa, and the Pacific?

I hope different communities will develop their own reading strategies in response to these problems. Similarly, it is to be hoped that communities will also develop their own questions in response to WS narratives — and the “truths” embedded these stories.

Remembering Said’s words
The words of the Palestinian-American activist, commentator, scholar, and writer Edward Said are apt here. The late Professor Said once wrote in his famed essay, “Permission to Narrate”, that, “Facts do not at all speak for themselves, but require a socially acceptable narrative to absorb, sustain and circulate them. Such a narrative has to have a beginning and end…”

We should remember Said’s words as we defend the narratives of Māori and all other communities against the stories of WS.

Covid-19 lockdowns have brought hardship to the door of many folks in Aotearoa. Nonetheless, stories of community service, kindness, unselfishness, and care abound in Aotearoa today.

Narratives of community concern, fellowship, generosity, service, respect, and tolerance underpin the labour of many — particularly those working in the health sector. These narratives are being written by all the peoples of Aotearoa together.

Māori narratives of community service have been particularly inspiring during this difficult lockdown period. People should reflect upon whether the WS narratives uphold the dignity of Kiwis of all cultures — or whether these narratives uphold the most antagonistic features of settler colonialism in Aotearoa.

In conclusion, I have ancestry from different parts of the Moana (Pacific) as well as ancestors from Europe. I am as proud of my Highland Clan Stewart heritage today as I am of my other ancestors.

I did not know my Pakeha family well and felt ashamed and antagonistic towards this ancestry when I was younger. These feelings changed when I spent time with Pakeha family in the South Island.

I admire the staunch pride of my Scottish ancestors, especially those clan members who fought against English invaders. I believe there is much to respect in Pakeha culture.

I also believe Pakeha can be proud of their ancestors and still live beyond the ideology that says their culture is superior and should rule over Tangata Whenua in this land. Pakeha culture need not be white supremacist culture.

Pakeha and Māori can respect one another and move forwards as partners under Te Tiriti. This is a narrative worth supporting moving into the future.

Tony Fala wishes to acknowledge the lives and work of Amiri Baraka, Bantu Stephen Biko, Frantz Fanon, and Edward Said as the inspiration for this article. Finally, Fala wishes to acknowledge his good friend Emeritus Professor Roger Horrocks. Horrocks was a superlative anti-Vietnam War student protest leader, scholar, and teacher. He taught Fala, alongside generations of other students, how to close read works of culture, film, history, media, literature, and television with commitment, dedication, and alofa. Horrocks is also one of the humblest people the author knows. Fala holds a PhD from the University of Auckland in Media, Film and Television.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz