An Auckland man has been bailed to a mental health facility after he damaged the Parliament building with an axe.
The 31-year-old was charged with intentional damage with reckless disregard, possession of an offensive weapon and resisting an officer trying to execute her duty. He is also facing an unrelated charge of intentionally damaging a glass wall in a Rotorua petrol station in early December.
He was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday morning after shattering the glass doors leading into the building with an axe - he did not gain access.
On Wednesday afternoon he appeared in Wellington's District Court in a secure courtroom due to concerns over his mental health.
He has been remanded on bail to a secure mental health facility.
Parliamentary service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said security breaches at Parliament are rare, and the incident was "unfortunate" but well managed by security.
"The plans in place to respond to an incident of this nature had been practiced and today shows that they have been executed effectively," he said.
"Parliamentary Service are now undertaking a full review of the incident and will assess whether changes to security measures on the parliamentary precinct will be necessary."
