The Prime Minister has described the impact of the protest at Parliament on those working within the precinct as "very upsetting" to her.
Jacinda Ardern's also said she was "worried" for those in Parliament as the "volatile" situation descended into violence.
In an end-of-the-year sitdown interview with Newshub Political Editor Jenna Lynch, Ardern described 2022 as "challenging".
Asked to elaborate on that, Ardern said politics is "all about solving problems", but the Government has "a few more unexpected ones".
One of the first major events of the year was the occupation of Parliament's grounds. The majority of the protesters were rallying against vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions, but other anti-authority figures turned up to oppose everything from the Government's Three Waters reforms to communism.
The occupation lasted more than three weeks, with protesters camping on Parliament's front lawn, blocking the roads around the Beehive and ignoring directions from police and security to disperse.
It eventually turned to chaos, with violence erupting on March 2 as officers attempted to take back control of the precinct from the mob. More than 100 people were arrested, a fire broke out beneath the trees, and police suffered more than 260 injuries, according to police information.
Throughout the protest, the Prime Minister refused to engage with the occupiers. She described their actions - including some protesters harassing members of the public - as "absolutely unacceptable" and in some cases "illegal".
She also refused to give in to the protesters' demands that the Government disestablish the COVID-19 response, which at the time was necessary to protecting New Zealanders from Omicron. Ardern committed to removing restrictions when it was safe.
More than nine months on, the Prime Minister told Lynch on Thursday the protest was "one of the most challenging parts of the year".
"That was incredibly difficult, and for everyone. I think New Zealanders found it very hard to see that happening on the grounds of our Parliament," she said.
Ardern said it was a "volatile" situation that turned to "violence".
"You could feel that in the lead-up. I was worried for people who work in [Parliament] because you couldn't come in without being confronted," she said.
"For the most part, that building is full of people who are just there to do a job for New Zealand. So it was very difficult knowing people were facing that."
The Prime Minister said she had to make changes to how she did things as a result of the protest.
That's part of the job, she said, but "seeing that spill over to other people was very upsetting".
Ardern said the occupation was "the tipping point from protest, which I think we celebrate as a democracy, to something that felt like something else completely".
Some of what motivated the protest is "based on misinformation and disinformation", Ardern said.
"That was very challenging, knowing that people were there for reasons that they didn't feel right, that it was difficult."
Research following the protest found a dozen social media accounts were primarily responsible for most of the misinformation being spread online during the occupation. A Government-led survey this year also found misinformation to be among the public's top national security concerns.
Newshub reported in May that intelligence documents developed immediately after the occupation showed it was "likely" a small group of people could "develop the intent to carry out an act of extremist violence" in retaliation for how the protest ended.
In August, a briefing to Police Minister Chris Hipkins showed police believed there had been a "shift in some public sentiment" towards officers over the pandemic, but "particularly after the occupation of Parliament".
"The 23-day occupation of Parliament grounds in February and March 2022 was one of the biggest logistical challenges that Police has seen in many years," the document said.
"Police is now undertaking the largest digital investigation we have ever attempted into criminal activity that occurred during the occupation at Parliament grounds".
