Police aware of NZ convoy anti-vaccine mandate protest over Waitangi weekend

Police are aware of the New Zealand truckers protest happening over Waitangi weekend.

The New Zealand convoy anti-vaccine mandate protest will start at 6:30am on Sunday and Monday and will travel the length of both islands. 

Police told Newshub on Saturday that they are "aware of the planned protest action and will be monitoring it". 

They said that they will respond to any issues as they arise.  

The New Zealand convoy protests follow similar gatherings overseas. In Canada, more than 200 trucks and other vehicles have been blockading downtown roads in central Ottawa in a nearly week-long protest of coronavirus vaccine mandates.

Protest organiser Tamara Lich said the demonstrators would stay in place until all mandates had been dropped.

"Our movement has grown in Canada and across the world because common people are tired of the mandates and restrictions in their lives that now seem to be doing more harm than good," she told a news conference.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the protests were "unacceptable" and that it was "time for these people to go home".

Organisers said drivers planned to hold similar protests in Toronto - the country's most populous city and its financial hub - and Quebec City amid growing frustration over almost two years of restrictions imposed to fight COVID-19.

A group of American truckers are also planning similar protests. They're trying to get some of the Canadian anti-vaccine mandate campaigns across the border as they plan a protest in Washington DC.

US organizers call themselves Convoy to DC 2022 on Facebook, which has gained over 100,000 members.