New Zealand police say planning is well underway ahead of a pro-Palestinian march that will shut the Auckland Harbour bridge later this month.

The organisers are expecting thousands to turn out for the “March for Humanity” which is due to be held on September 13.

Police told RNZ they were working with partner agencies, and expected to inform the public on how the march would impact on them.

They said they remained in contact with the march organisers.

The organisers say it will be a follow-on from recent protest marches that walked over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brisbane’s Victoria Bridge.

The organisers say it will be a follow-on from recent protest marches that walked over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Brisbane’s Victoria Bridge.

Those events attracted 50,000 to 300,000 protesters.

The Auckland march is being organised by Aotearoa for Palestine, a coalition of Palestinians and tangata whenua. They want the government to sanction Israel for what they say is a genocide being carried out in Gaza.

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Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Thousands of supporters of Aotearoa New Zealand’s hīkoi mō te Tiriti — a march traversing the length of Aotearoa in protest against the Treaty Principles Bill and government policies impacting on Māori — have crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

RNZ reporters with the march said it was swaying and rocking as the protesters descended on the Westhaven side of the bridge.

Earlier, Auckland commuters were advised to plan ahead as the hīkoi makes its way over the Harbour Bridge.

Waka Kotahi and police say the two outer northbound lanes closed from 8.30am on Wednesday and would not re-open until around 11am. Some other on- and off-ramps will also be closed until further notice.

The hīkoi begins the Harbour Bridge crossing.  Video: RNZ News

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Cyclone Gabrielle was battering parts of the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand with strong winds and heavy rain last night.

Most of the North Island is covered by some kind of Severe Weather Watch or Warning either for wind, rain or both.

Red heavy rain warnings have been issued for Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel and the northern parts of Gisborne Tairāwhiti.

Red strong wind warnings have been issued for Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel.

Vector said at 7pm 15,000 households in the Auckland area were without power last night.

“Our crews are responding as quickly and safely as they can, given the current weather conditions,” said a spokesperson.

Cyclone Gabrielle covering all of the North Island as of 7:20pm today. pic.twitter.com/niRd0Z1vrn

— Australasia From Space (@AussieFromSpace) February 12, 2023

Auckland Harbour Bridge closed
In the Coromandel Peninsula, about 11,000 homes were without power.

The storm has cut supply in Port Charles, Waikawau, Manaia, Tairua, Cooks Beach and parts of Whitianga.

Electricity has also been cut to Paeroa on the Hauraki Plains and Pururi, just south of Thames.

The Auckland Harbour Bridge remained closed overnight due to high winds.

Waka Kotahi made the decision to close the bridge just after 3:30pm yesterday afternoon, which was met with criticism from motorists.

National Emergency Response spokesperson Mark Owen said that while safety was its priority, closing the bridge was very challenging.

The bridge will remain closed until further notice.

Self-evacuations in Gisborne
Many families in Gisborne left their homes voluntarily ahead of the severe wind and rain.

Cyclone Gabrielle was set to reach Gisborne last night, bringing gale-force winds and nine metre storm surges and heavy rain.

Up to 450mm was forecast north of Tolaga Bay before Tuesday.

RNZ will continue live coverage from 5am Monday morning and update any major developments overnight.

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

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

All southbound traffic lanes on State Highway One over the Auckland Harbour Bridge have now reopened after they were closed while New Zealand anti-mandate protesters marched across the bridge.

The southbound lanes of the bridge were closed for about an hour and a half while the protesters marched from the North Shore to central Auckland.

The protesters then gathered in Victoria Park and the bridge lanes and motorway have reopened.

Thousands of anti-mandate protesters marched onto the bridge from the North Shore late this morning, chanting “mandates gone, first of March”.

The protest came as the Ministry of Health reports a record 13,606 new community cases of covid-19 in New Zealand today, with 263 people in hospital — five of them in intensive care units (ICU).

In a statement, the ministry said 9262 of the new cases were in the Auckland region.

Waka Kotahi said the protesters had unlawfully entered the state highway network on foot.

This morning hundreds of people gathered at Onepoto Domain at the northern end of the bridge and then set out towards the bridge.

Māori Wardens told RNZ they were escorting the protesters for safety reasons.

Organised by Destiny Church coalition
The march had been organised by Destiny Church’s Freedoms and Rights Coalition.

In a statement, police said the safety of staff, road users and protesters was the priority.

They would actively engage with the protesters to prevent them crossing the bridge due to the significant safety risks posed.

Despite the safety concerns, protest organisers said they had worked with the police on traffic management.

The protesters support the the Parliament occupation in Wellington. Police have described that protest as “no longer safe for families”.

Tents set up in Auckland Domain
The police later said a small group of protesters remained at Auckland Domain after marching over the Harbour Bridge earlier today.

Videos on social media showed protesters in the Domain putting up a number of tents.

The police and Auckland Council have been in talks with protest leaders, who had promised to leave by 9pm.

In a video, one protester claimed to have mana whenua status, and that they were occupying a pā site at the Domain.

They expected the police to come to try to evict them.

There were children on the site.

Auckland Council said it had serious concerns the gathering could become a super-spreading event.

It said that while it respected the right to peaceful assembly, it was concerned about the health risk.

Protesters have been gathered at Parliament in Wellington for more than two weeks, and sparked similar protests around the country.

‘Go home’ petition gains 140,000 signatures
Meanwhile, the person who launched the “Tell the Wellington Protestors to Go Home — They are NOT the majority” petition which has gathered more than 140,000 signatures has spoken out about the Parliament grounds occupation.

Named as James Black (not his real name), he said in an “update” that the petition had “triggered media interest and analysis and exposure [about] the elements of the protest that are dangerous.

“As the protest has unfolded, it’s become more and more obvious to everyone that there are seriously unhinged but well-funded elements at play here using innocents and the gullible, children and whanau as puppets for their agenda of destabilisation.”

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

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz