An intimate journey into the 2022 ‘Parliament protest’ — the uprising in New Zealand against one of the most severe mandatory vaccination regimens in the world.

Fed up with Covid-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions on almost the entire workforce, thousands of New Zealanders convoy to Parliament in early February 2022. On arrival into Wellington without a government-issued ‘vaccine passport’, most are refused access to hotels, cafes and amenities. Nevertheless, they are welcomed by tangata whenua (Māori) to Parliament’s front lawn, were they set up camp.

A brutal assault by police on 10 February fails to remove the protestors; rather it shocks the nation and attracts thousands more. As a storm approaches, the Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard, orders flood lighting, loud music, and vaccination advertising to be played on repeat; the lawn sprinklers are also turned on. However, Mallard’s torture tactics, along with the worst cyclone in 60 years, fails to dampen the people’s determination to stay—“End the mandates!” 

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern commands that all parliamentarians must ignore the protesters. All the politicians, from both sides of the House, unite and comply, refusing to acknowledge the thousands of people below their balcony, in a rapidly growing ‘Freedom Village’.

On 25 February, a High Court win is cause for celebration. Un-vaccinated staff of the New Zealand Police and the Defence Force are permitted to return to their jobs, when a judge rules the government mandate is ‘unlawful’. But soon after, in a coordinated attack, the police ambush the camp at dawn, forcibly clearing everyone out, using brutal methods never before seen in Aotearoa.

Nevertheless, the peace, love & kotahitanga (unity) shared by the protestors for 23 days will be forever remembered, as will the immorality and injustices of this time.

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