Protesters have begun filing out of the Parliament precinct as their demonstration comes to an end without violence and occupation.
The Wellington 'Abandon Agenda 2030' protest has taken a twist towards the end, with the Tamakis taking the opportunity to promote their political party.
The Freedoms and Rights Coalition marched to Parliament at the same time as a Stop Co-Governance protest, but for different reasons, while an anti-fascist group also protested.
Fences have been erected around the perimeter of Parliament and surrounding streets have been closed since Wednesday and they're not meant to open until 12:01am on Friday.
Road closures:
- Hill Street closed between Molesworth/Aitken Streets and Guildford Terrace
- Kate Sheppard Place closed
- Lambton Quay / Bowen Street intersection and Bunny Street near the bus depot restricted to buses only.
Protest begins
Supporters, mostly of the Freedoms and Rights Coalition, have begun their march through the streets of Wellington.
The group's chants "hands off our children" echo through the streets as Brian Tamaki, his wife Hannah and their political partner Sue Grey lead the protest.
The group have said they were protesting the United Nations Agenda 2030, with much of the dialogue so far being about sexual education, orientation and the queer community.
As hundreds of Freedoms protesters descend on Parliament grounds police are separating them from a anti-fascist group.
The protest has arrived on Parliament's grounds with an upbeat and peaceful atmosphere.
Again, protest organisers have asked children to stand up the front. Several children line the steps near Parliament forecourt holding signs, with one reading "NZ Govt you're not my parents!".
"I want to learn by abc's not my lgbt's," one read.
"I want to stay innocent," read another.
Tamaki and Grey have taken the opportunity to promote their political party while standing in front of Parliament on Thursday afternoon.
Grey says if elected she would offer a new vision for the country.
"When you vote Freedoms New Zealand, it's not just about one or two of us, it's about all of us."
After Grey, Tamaki spoke to the crowd and said he wants to "bring back Jesus Christ" to Aotearoa.
"I have a vision for our nation, I have a dream for our land," said Tamaki.
Tamaki added Decision 2023 is the election of New Zealand's lifetime and urged his supporters not to vote as they have done.
"I'm going to fight to try and keep our Kiwi way of life, so we can't vote for the same parties who keep screwing our country up."
Background
The Freedoms and Rights Coalition protest 'Abandon Agenda 2030' has seen parliamentary security urge staff to stay home and forced the United Nations Association New Zealand (UNA-NZ), who they are protesting, to move their conference online.
In a press release, Freedoms and Rights Coalition NZ said they are voicing "their disagreement with Agenda 2030, as the UNA-NZ are still plotting and scheming on this day, albeit hiding away behind closed doors".
The group is calling for Aotearoa to "break free from Agenda 2030's influence over our government and nation".
On Thursday, leader of the Freedoms group and founder of Destiny Church Brian Tamaki told RNZ he has run many protests in his lifetime which have been peaceful.
"Wellingtonians and everybody else can feel safe, like the last protest that we did here, like you all assumed it would be violent. It wasn't," he said.
"Today's going to be peaceful, as always, and the right to protest."
Tamaki said he and his group "would never be involved" in any protest that would get in the way of people's lives or violent action.
"The public can just settle down. Mainly the news and the media, stop amping it up to something it's not going to be."
The Stop Co-Governance movement led by Julian Batchelor will also be marching.
Speaking to Newshub on Thursday morning Batchelor said it's a "coincidence" that both protests are happening at the same time.
"It's a protest cocktail."
Batchelor said he supports and agrees with what Tamaki is protesting and isn't worried about both the messaging of both protests getting muddled.
At 10am the group of protesters will gather at Wellington Civic Square, where they'll march along Mercer St, Willis St and Lambton Quay as they make their way to Parliament.
On their way to parliament, the group is expected to pass a counter protester by Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition. That group's protest will be held at the Law School on Bowen St and Lambton Quay, but organiser Serah Allisons told Newshub they will not be engaging with Tamaki's group.
"We're making it clear that there is opposition to their conspiracy theories and sort of anti-health care messaging," they said.
Allison added the group "stands against conspiracy theories and we stand up for democratic processes".
Gang hikoi
Another group made its way to Parliament on Thursday and met with National's police spokesperson Mark Mitchell.
A gang hīkoi to oppose National and ACT's gang policies arrived in the Capital after stopping in marae on the way down from Northland.
The group says National and ACT don't understand how gang whānau live and say some of the parties' policies will rip families apart.
It’s understood the group wanted to meet with Mitchell before the freedoms and Stop Co-Governance protests arrived.
