Farmers have walked off the paddocks and driven into the big smoke in protest of the Government's emissions reduction plan.
Tractors rolled into town, driving across Auckland's Harbour Bridge on Thursday in a Groundswell NZ protest called 'we're not going to take it'.
Last week, a consultation document was released to the public proposing GST-registered farmers and growers who meet certain livestock and fertiliser use thresholds will have to pay levies on emissions from 2025.
Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie said the Government's livestock emission plan is the "worst assault on New Zealand farmers and rural communities in a generation".
The protesters are demanding no emissions tax on food production.
What you need to know:
- Farmers are protesting against the Government's livestock emissions plan.
- Utes, tractors, and trucks descended on New Zealand's major cities from around 8am on Thursday.
- Police were monitoring the roading network and said they will respond to any issues as they arise.
These live updates have finished.
3:10pm - Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie said in a press conference the Government's plan to price agricultural emissions is the "worst assault on New Zealand farmers and rural communities in a generation".
He said one-fifth of farms will be gone by 2030 and the ones left will be under immense pressure and strain.
McKenzie said the Government are just interested in being "moral crusaders on the international stage" as New Zealand will be the first country to develop a system for pricing agricultural emissions.
Groundswell NZ is demanding no emissions tax on food production.
2:55pm - Groundswell co-founders are speaking to the media following the protest in Dunedin. Watch it here.
2:15pm - Below are some images of protesters coverging on Dunedin on Thursday.
1:45pm - Stuff has captured an image of Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki in attendance at the protest in the Auckland Domain.
1:30pm - Speaking to the media in Auckland earlier, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Government was trying to work beside farmers to bring agricutrual emissions down.
"We are out talking to our farmers and food producers as to the best possible design," she told reporters.
"Keep in mind, our starting point has been the system that has come to us from the sector itself.
"We have made some small changes and are now asking them for their views on that."
1:08pm - For a reminder of where protesters are gathering on Thursday, click here.
1:05pm - The Mayors of the Westland, Buller and Grey Districts and the chair of the West Coast Regional Council have issued a statement in support of the protesters.
"We must protect our farming and rural communities at all costs," the joint statement says. "They are a vital contributor to our economy both regionally and nationally and are some of the most sustainable food producers in the world, having one of the lowest carbon footprints.
"The Government's proposed tax emissions have the potential to create food scarcity and higher food prices with a significant volume of farmable land likely to be transferred to growing pine trees."
1pm - The ACT Party says farmers are right to protesting against the Government's emissions reduction plan, which it desribed as a "burp tax".
"Farmers are right to be outraged by the Government's proposed tax on farm emissions, in fact the whole country should be up in arms about a policy that increases emissions and hammers an entire industry," ACT Primary Industries spokesperson Mark Cameron says.
"The Prime Minister wants to go on the world stage and say that New Zealand is the first country to price agricultural emissions. But under this proposal we won't be leading, we'll be bleeding."
12:24pm - Voices For Freedom protesters have also started gathering outside the Beehive.
12:15pm - The Otago Daily Times reports traffic is at a standstill on the one-way system in Dunedin due to protesters making their way through the CBD.
11:53am - Protesters on tractors have also made their way into Wellington. One of the protesters, who's driven to the capital from Hawke's Bay, told Newshub's Alexa Cook farmers have a simple message.
"We care for our farms, we care for our livelihoods and we actually care for the environment," he says.
11:46am - Speaking from Christchurch, AM reporter Mitch Redman says protesters are starting to flock to the city's Hagley Park.
"Many of these protests are taking place in the main centres today with some people leaving the West Coast just after 6am to be here.
"When these protesters do arrive for the convoy at midday, they will be going for a lap around the central city."
11:43am - Newshub footage shows more tractors starting to roll over the Harbour Bridge.
11:30am - A group of Groundswell protesters has just made their way across the Auckland Harbour Bridge, heading north.
Most of the protesters, however, are making their way south.
11:20am - Taranaki Public Transport adds in a Facebook comment the "protest in November 2021 caused significant delays across our bus network, with delays in excess of two hours, resulting in many cancellations to our bus services last minute.
"We estimate that this protest will cause the same congestion, delays and cancellations for our bus services, therefore have decided to make the call early."
11:15am - In Taranaki, public transport has been disrupted by the protests.
"After consultation with our contractors the difficult decision has been made to cancel all urban Citylink services in New Plymouth today between 10:40am and 2:15pm due to the Groundswell NZ protest," Public Transport Taranaki says. "Citylink services will resume after 2:15pm.
"At this stage we do not foresee any impact on our school bus services."
11am - After the protesters make their way across the Harbour Bridge, expected to happen shortly, they will gather at Auckland's Victoria Park at about midday.
10:45am - Protesters are planning to cross Auckland's Harbour Bridge in about 15 minutes - you'll be able to watch that live in the video above.
10:30am - For a reminder of why farmers are taking to the streets on Thursday, click here.
10:19am - National Party rural communities spokesperson Nicola Grigg has written a message of support to protesting farmers.
"All the best everyone. I'm in parliament today otherwise I'd be there!" she said on Facebook.
"I know you'll keep the protest civil and respectful and look forward to seeing your submissions on a way forward for emissions management in the coming weeks. Go well!"
10:15am - Groundswell co-founder Bryce McKenzie says the demonstration is legal.
"We're doing a legal protest," he told Newstalk ZB. "We're allowed to drive on the road, we're not trying to stop traffic but we might hold it up a bit."
10am - Protesters are sharing images of their tractors and signs on the Groundswell NZ Facebook page.
Among the messages on the signs include, "Support farmers, we feed you" and "Remove this Govt now!!"
9:45am - Envrionmental group Climate Justice Taranaki believes the protest shows "just how stuck in the mud some farmers are when it comes to moving with the times".
"This country's rural and agricultural sector has been hard hit by floods, intense storms and droughts this year alone, costing millions in damages and loads of stress and heartbreak for those losing homes, sheds, stock and fences," spokesperson Emily Bailey says. "It's only getting worse and farmers can either adapt and rapidly bring down their emissions or they and everyone else will suffer more."
9:30am - Bryce McKenzie, the co-founder of Groundswell, says any traffic disruption caused by the protests is "not intentional".
"We will be going slower than people in cars, in that respect there will be disruption, we won't let traffic build up too much we'll try and get out of the road and let them pass and that'll be the same no matter where," McKenzie told RNZ's Morning Report.
9:15am - An Auckland farmer believes a large chunk of the farming industry is taking on measures to future proof it.
Cam Vernon, who appeared on AM from the Auckland gathering in the Bombays, said the aim of the protest is to spread their message and not upset the public.
"We'll be heading into town and going to a few key points that we think are necessary to sort of display and encourage our message to get out there.
"Obviously, our aim is to spread the message. Our aim is not to obviously upset the public or interfere with the transport industry, which is pretty big in Auckland."
Some Kiwis have been critical of Groundswell with one person emailing AM saying the organisation is nothing but "dirty farmers" who "dirty" New Zealand's rivers.
Vernon said there will always be people that have a "one-dimensional view" but said Kiwi farmers are doing all they can to tackle the issues facing the sector.
"New Zealanders and the agricultural and farming sector are definitely at the leading and the forefront of what we do.
"There are a lot of farming people who are always proactive, taking pragmatic approaches and upgrading their equipment and investing back into the future of their farm for the next generation coming through and I think a lot of that is just getting misrepresented."
9am - Two Canterbury farmers accept the farming sector is contributing to climate change but believe New Zealand is too small a country to have an impact on fixing the issue.
Farmer Derek Bull from Darfield in Canterbury told AM on Thursday the Government's new proposal is "ridiculous".
"I think we're all contributing to it and agriculture's had its share, but we've been improving for many years with riparian planting and whether it's making a difference, I don't know," he told AM.
"But at the end of the world, we're less than a quarter of a percent of the emissions worldwide, even if we took New Zealand clean off the world map, whatever we do, it won't change much."
Farm Contractor Dean Jenkins, who was appearing alongside Bull, said New Zealand is too small of a country to fix the climate change issues facing the world.
"We're just cutting our throats at the end of the day. It's just ridiculous what they are trying to put in place because it's a massive trickle-down effect as well for us," Jenkins said.
"I think the government really needs to look at the situation, what it is now and right now, the on-farm cost is just huge."
Jenkins warned these new measures will see food prices get even worse.
"You think the price of groceries at the moment is bad, it's just going to get worse and worse and worse and that's the reality of the situation right now," Jenkins said.
"So with this new tax that they're going to bring in, it's just ridiculous. The reality is, the situation right now is, we are in dire straits."
8:34am - A Dunedin farmer believes the new regulations by the Government will mean her business will not survive.
Farmer Lucy Thompson and her husband manage an extensive sheep and beef farm and told AM on Thursday the new regulations are "insane".
"We have just been cut off with these regulations, they're just so difficult to work with. To drop our sheep numbers along with the increase in costs for inputs it's just insane, we are just not going to be able to survive," Thompson said.
"There is more money in trees than there is in sheep and beef with the way these regulations are going and the direction the country is heading."
Thompson said New Zealand farmers are actually doing very well at creating environmentally friendly products.
"New Zealanders are doing the best. New Zealand farmers are the All Blacks of the world, we are actually doing it very well," she said.
"We are always trying to improve, consistently trying to improve on things, we're doing a very good job now and I'm just not sure why trying to diminish us further and the Government said by dropping our numbers we will need to bring food in from overseas to come in to feed our own."
8:10am - ACT Leader David Seymour says Groundswell protests are totally justified and believes the Government's new emissions policy is "stupid".
Seymour believes the new policy is "two steps backwards" for New Zealand and hopes things will change before the legislation is passed.
"All that's going to happen is people are going to consume more from offshore and global emissions rise," Seymour.
"I can't stress that enough. This policy is a double own goal. It's incredibly stupid."
