New Zealand protesters currently rallying on the forecourt of Parliament against vaccine mandates are being painted by the international press as "copycats" of Canadian demonstrators.
Police have arrested dozens of the protesters, who arrived at Parliament on Tuesday from across New Zealand as part of a convoy inspired by truckers also demonstrating in Canada. Ottawa is currently under a state of emergency after the city was blockaded by citizens angry with the local government's COVID-19 restrictions and vaccination requirements.
The Wellington demonstration has caught the world's attention with a number of well-known international media outlets reporting on the event as it has unfolded.
Australia's ABC spoke to a number of protesters, some of whom expressed their desire for choice over what goes into their body. One man said he was vaccinated and saw it as a "really good thing", but believed "we should be able to decide if we want to have it or not".
Vaccinations are not mandated for the general population in New Zealand and the Government has said they will not be. However, people who choose not to get a vaccine are limited in the workforces they can join and face restrictions at gatherings, hospitality sites and other public venues.
The Australian Associated Press copy noted that the protest turned "ugly" on Wednesday when a number of the demonstrators surged towards police, leading to three arrests.
"The group might be small, but they are certainly annoying Wellingtonians," the copy said.
"Many have voiced their anger at convoy vehicles parked in the streets around parliament, restricting their movement and lengthening their daily transit."
It highlighted that the views of protesters "are well outside the mainstream".
A recent poll shows the majority of Kiwis support vaccine mandates for certain workforces. Seventy-four percent support the mandate for teachers, healthcare workers, port, border and prison workers while just 20 percent oppose it and 6 percent didn't know.
The latest data from the Ministry of Health shows that 96 percent of the eligible population have one dose, 94 percent have had two doses and 53 percent have had their booster shot. On Tuesday, as the protest happened, 61,000 Kiwis received a vaccine.
Many of the international reports described the protests as "Canada-style" or inspired by the Canadian demonstrations.
The United Kingdom's Evening Standard reported that protesters were rallying against zero-COVID restrictions. While New Zealand is taking a "stamp it out" approach to Omicron, current restrictions are not as severe as previous lockdowns and the Prime Minister has admitted we will not rid the country of the variant.
The Daily Mail referred to the protest in New Zealand as a "copycat convoy". Agence France-Presse, Australia's news.com.au, and The New York Times have all also called the Kiwi protests "copycat".
The Guardian highlighted that the protesters' demands are extensive and confusing. While some are there to voice anger over vaccine mandates, others are opposing media corruption, claims of iwi groups selling out and the closure of an oil refinery.
It used the headline: "Muddled messages and fraying consensus at New Zealand’s anti-vax protest".
Breitbart News, a far-right news service that often publishes conspiracy theories and was a key backer of Donald Trump when he ran for President in 2016, reported that the protesters were willing to stay "as long as it takes" and claimed more people were about to join the protest.
It said the convoy on Tuesday had been "peaceful", but that police were "accused of attempting to intimidate protesters". Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is described as "ultra-left" in the piece.
Other media outlets to report on the New Zealand developments include the United States' National Public Radio and The Washington Post, China's state-owned Global Times tabloid, the BBC, and wire service Reuters.
