The Police Commissioner says the anti-COVID vaccine mandate protest occupying Parliament grounds is no longer tenable and has announced a crackdown on demonstrators.
Andrew Coster has launched a "major operation", vowing to tow illegally parked vehicles from the streets surrounding the Beehive.
On the streets by the Beehive, it's still bumper-to-bumper but at Wellington's Sky Stadium it's still virtually empty - with most protesters turning down an offer of free parking there in a bid to clear the city's streets.
"We're here to get the mandates lifted so we can carry on with normal life," one protester said.
"[The] Prime Minister doesn't want to talk to us," said another. "We're going to stay."
But the police say it's time to go.
"The roads need to be cleared now or we will be towing vehicles," Cmmr Coster told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. "I won't go into the fine detail but that will commence shortly."
Cmmr Coster, fronting the issue for the first time, is focused on clearing cars first - then people.
"If [the] police have to go in there now, many people will get hurt - that's a certainty."
Former police crisis negotiator Lance Burdett believes it's time to negotiate with the protesters but the Government's still not interested in talks.
And with at least 100 cars blocking the streets and hundreds of protesters partying on Parliament's lawn, businesses are being crippled - including university store Vic Books.
"We don't feel our staff are safe enough," general manager Jessica Godfrey told Newshub.
Local residents, including former Human Rights Commissioner Rae Julian, are also tired.
"I have to almost push past them," Julian said. "It's also our right as non-protesters not to be affected by it for too long."
But it could be a little longer. Cmmr Coster said getting rid of all vehicles is a mammoth task - and won't happen overnight.
