Farmers protesting against climate regulations brought their tractors to Auckland on Sunday. The convoy held up lunchtime traffic before meeting at Ellerslie Race Course.
That's when the politicians arrived to court their vote.
These farmers have been fighting what they see as the Government's heavy-handed climate regulations for years.
And they've turned these rolling convoys into a finely tuned machine - albeit a slow-moving one.
"We think it's time for a change. We think that rural New Zealand is suffering under the present Government and we need some sort of reprieve from that so we're just encouraging people to get out and vote," said Groundswell cofounder Bryce McKenzie.
The convoy travelled up from Invercargill, often slowing traffic but always winning, they say, friends and admirers.
"The people out on the street - brilliant. Waving, tooting, giving us biscuits and scones. We haven't really had a negative comment to be fair," said Groundswell participant Phil Barrett.
They say they're sick and tired of the Labour-led Government supported by the Greens.
"It's going to be very difficult if we have the present Government still in power because they're not listening to us so that's why we want change," McKenzie said.
One beef and sheep farmer from Bluff said he's at the end of his tether.
"Do you know what my four kids have said to me? 'I'm going to go broke dad if I take the farm over in the next three years'. What the f*** did I work for?" they asked.
And angry rural voters could swing the election. There were scores of tractors, a big show of force, but which way's their vote going to go?
Well, the politicians came out to make their pitch. They were given ten minutes each.
"When I challenged the narrative on things like the COVID vaccines and climate change you get mocked and blocked and challenged and I think that's wrong," DemocracyNZ leader Matt King said.
"Will we talk to Groundswell? Of course we do, we'll talk to you because we talk to everybody," NZ First leader Winston Peters said.
"I stand here for the ACT Party as the only party that opposed the Zero Carbon Act," said ACT leader David Seymour.
"We trust farmers and we know that rural New Zealand wants to do what's best for the country," said National's agriculture spokesperson Todd McClay.
But after listening to them, do the farmers trust them? Maybe not.
"All basically saying the same thing, what farmers want to hear," one told Newshub.
"There was nothing that anyone said today. They were talking at the people not to the people," another added.
And these people, it appears, may take some persuading.
