I found out on Friday just before leaving work that my kids, who are under 12 years old, had been vaccinated against my wishes by their mother. This contributed to my spur of the moment decision late Friday night to head from Auckland to Wellington for the weekend to see at first-hand the protest outside parliament and to show my support.
I managed to arrange an airBnB for Saturday, something I didn’t need to do given I was offered accommodation by an unknown person on a Telegram channel but, being an independent person, I wanted to do it my way. That offer of accommodation by an unknown party shows the level of support out there and the kindness of Kiwis that still exists in the face of the current divisions being pushed by this government. While searching for accommodation in Wellington I couldn’t believe the number of airBnB and motels that required a vax pass in order to make a booking.
The trip down on Saturday wasn’t fun – it rained almost non-stop from Auckland to Wellington. My trip was made a lot more enjoyable listening to an audiobook I had given my children called Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer.
The main road from Auckland to Wellington is a disgrace, especially the Desert Road. There are parts of the Desert Road that have been covered in gravel, with potholes that will remove your car’s front or rear axles if you go too fast (i.e. 30 km/h or over) There was no sign that these road issues are being given any priority. Obviously this Labour Government isn’t spending road taxes it collects on roads.
I arrived in Wellington late Saturday afternoon and, after a quick check-in at the airBnB, I walked the 40 mins to parliament. This was a mistake. I had assumed roads about the CBD would be a mess given what I had heard on the MSM and was totally soaked to the skin by the time I arrived there.
I should have driven and I would have found parking a mere one-minute walk away from the parliament buildings (public transport was a joke; I didn’t see one bus or train during my walk). Not repeating the same mistake when I visited the grounds on Sunday morning, I parked legally a one-minute walk away. Blocked roads are only those around the front of parliament grounds and people manage to drive through to drop off supplies or move their vehicles for other reasons. (I saw a vehicle that was in the middle of the parking chaos on Saturday night in Waiouru Sunday afternoon).
On arriving at the protest area I was surprised at what I found. Basically, all the grounds at the front were given over to the public, with the paved section immediately around Parliament blocked off with concrete and plastic bollards separating the public from a token visual police presence (the concrete bollards being at strategic points behind plastic bollards, I guess to try and hide them).
The atmosphere and setup were more like a festival than a protest (so much for the two shots for summer bullshit, where all the festivals have been cancelled, at least the public can attend a festival of sorts) and people were more than happy to be there although very upset at the same time.
The anger was directed at the occupants of parliament and the head of the police but not with the police themselves.
Over Saturday afternoon and evening, and the Sunday morning that I was there, the police could have held the line with one officer.
On Saturday and Sunday I walked around the whole parliament building and saw there was minimal police infrastructure to back up a push had the protesters decided to take more forceful action. This highlighted that it is a peaceful protest and I think the police recognise this at the operational level.
After seeing the shit the police did during the previous week I’m glad they backed off but on Sunday morning I saw a policewoman with a camera taking individual pictures of every person in the crowd behind the police line. This suggests to me that there may be issues for people in the future.
I met a guy who was masked up in something like a balaclava saying he had spotted the police photographer as well and wasn’t going to be on the front line without a mask because he doesn’t trust that future action may happen. I talked with a few other people who said the same but weren’t covered and will wait and see what happens. It appears there is a new level of distrust in the police.
During my rambles I was interviewed by two members of the police force. One had a massive chip on his shoulder, the other I regret not asking for her phone number. I’m now worried that my being there will cause issues for me in the future as well.
I lay all the blame for ruining the grass area at Parliament with the duck (Trevor Mallard). Fixing it should come out of the duck’s taxpayer-funded wage. A side note: for the first time, I saw his half million dollar slide. At least kids were having fun while I was there, but what a waste of taxpayer money.
Why the Duck Should Cover All Costs for Fixing the Grass outside Parliament:
1. The duck wanted all tents removed. Well, that didn’t work. On Saturday nearly all the grass area was covered with tents.
2. The duck turned the sprinklers on during a council imposed water ban. Thank goodness extra drainage was installed by the people.
3. The people are doing everything they can to minimise damage, with straw and matting etc.
I’m going to mention the sound speakers the duck set up. I didn’t notice them active on Saturday, but I did notice them on Sunday morning. Basically he played 3 songs on repeat, the Frozen let it go song, followed by a shark song, then the vax the nation song, with a message from the duck between the songs saying the grounds are closed, leave now or be trespassed.
If my memory serves me correctly, it is because of the duck and Hipkins that the public can protest on parliament grounds. Also, if you decide to take a walk behind the parliament, there are no notices for members of the public on foot saying that the area is off limits.
The duck is an idiot and is making it personal. The duck is also breaching rules he helped put in place. I loved seeing people dancing to the music the duck was playing. Just like with the tents, the duck is losing and I can’t wait to see what happens if he is ever held to account.
Outside of the protest, I found Wellington city dead. Major chains are following the government dictates to the letter, with the independents doing whatever it takes. I have a feeling Wellington is now ruled by the civil service. I lived there 20 years ago and, based on what I saw, the city and its mojo are dead.
I met and saw New Zealanders from every walk of life during my brief visit and everyone I met, or saw, or walked by on the people’s side was friendly and courteous. There wasn’t any hint of violence in the air (NZ Police take note!).
The protest is about freedom from mandates and government control. That’s it.
People didn’t care if you were vaccinated or not. It’s a simple message that the MSM and the politicians can’t see. After seeing the protest first-hand I now have some hope for the future of New Zealand.
To all New Zealanders who are there or who are supporting the effort in any way you can, I thank you.
To those that aren’t aware of the importance of standing up for freedom, I hope you become aware of the sacrifices being made, if not for you, then for your children.