*This article was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission*
Tensions rose today as the protest against Covid-19 protection measures dragged on into its third day, with police hauling away dozens of protesters who refused to leave Parliament grounds.
Police made more arrests this afternoon as they continued to hold the line.
Police said it was disappointing that despite the grounds being officially closed to the public earlier today, a number of protesters are still refusing repeated requests to leave the precinct.
"We continue to acknowledge people's rights to protest, however those who behave unlawfully will face arrest."
Some protesters responded with abuse, haka and hurling objects at officers
At a media briefing this afternoon, Wellington District Commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell said the health and safety of police staff and the public was paramount.
Parnell said two police officers who had been assaulted in today's confrontation with anti-mandate protesters were now recovering.
Police had twice deployed OC spray after officers were pulled into the crowd. He said they were not seriously injured and such behaviour was unacceptable.
Parnell said that earlier today police saw some weapons such as placards and sticks, as well as a knuckle duster which signalled the sentiment of some of the occupiers.
He said the presence of children was a significant risk factor and that some protesters had placed children in front of adults.
He said police could not control that but could control how they dealt with the children.
"There has never been an occupation of this scale, it's unprecedented and there has to be a measured approach," he said.
Asked how long the occupation would continue Parnell said "my intention is it won't be here for another week".
Politicians react as protest continues
Inside Parliament, Minister for Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins stressed that the pandemic is not over.
Hipkins made the comments in the debate of the Prime Minister's statement in the House this afternoon.
He referred to the number of protesters outside Parliament and the number of Covid-19 deaths experienced overseas.
"More people are dying of Covid-19 in Australia than were on the Parliamentary forecourt. Each week, more people die from Covid-19 than have been standing on the Parliamentary forecourt each week."
Hipkins also thanked police officers for protecting those working on the Parliamentary precinct.
Speaking after visiting a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Albany, Auckland, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the group of anti-vaccine mandate protesters to 'move on'.
Ardern said it was ultimately an operational matter for police.
"Obviously every New Zealander has a right to protest, but there are also rules around what is able to happen on Parliament's forecourt and of course we would expect that people have behaviours that don't disrupt the ability of others to go on with their lives as well."
She said the majority of New Zealanders shared a similar sentiment, to keep one another safe and do as much as they could to ensure we could continue to live our lives as we did before the pandemic.
"It is not unusual to have protest activity at Parliament, that is part of our democracy, but we do need to make sure that we keep that balance with people being able to live their lives - particularly people who live in the Wellington region or work in the Wellington region. So that is of course what the police are endeavouring to do.
"I'm not going to question those who have the expertise around how to manage situations like this."
She said she had seen a number of protests in her time in Parliament and this was certainly not the largest.
The National Party confirmed it did not support the convoy protest, despite one of its MPs posting on Facebook that she wanted to thanks the protesters.
Maureen Pugh edited the post before deleting it entirely, saying she didn't know the protesters were anti-vaccination.
The party's Covid-19 spokesman Chris Bishop said he did not see the post before it was deleted.
Bishop said Pugh has apologised for her actions and that there are no anti-vaxxers in the National caucus.
Wellington CBD retail sales down 70 percent because of disruption
On the streets surrounding Parliament, Wellington retailers say the disruption caused by the large protest at Parliament is further straining business.
They said staff are being verbally abused in the city.
Retail NZ said the protest had brought sales down across the CBD by at least 70 percent, and businesses were already struggling with red light restrictions.
Chief executive Greg Harford said with much of the public avoiding the area, many of the protesters want to be served - but can't be because they don't have vaccine passes or masks.
He said retailers are worried about angry people dispersing from Parliament grounds and through the city, and he wants the city council to support retailers if that happens.
With the protest rumbling on, New Zealand recorded a new record high 306 new community cases of Covid-19 today - with 216 cases in Auckland alone.
