28 Feb 2022

Police, hapū and iwi monitoring anti-mandate protest in New Plymouth

5:19 pm on 28 February 2022

No decision has been made whether to trespass anti-vaccination madate protesters camped on reserve land in New Plymouth.

Anti mandate protest beside coastal Walkway in New Plymouth

Anti-mandate protesters wrote messages on the coastal Walkway in New Plymouth. Photo: RNZ

About 10 tents and a couple of gazebos have been erected adjacent to the Wind Wand car park on the Coastal Walkway.

The council manages the reserve which it leases from Ngāti Te Whiti hapū .

Protesters say the hapū has given them permission to camp there.

The council says police, Ngāti Te Whiti and Te Atiawa iwi are monitoring the situation.

The council says no action has been requested at this stage.

It has received one complaint about the protest from a member of the public.

Meanwhile, there are 67 new cases in Taranaki today and one person is in hospital.

Of today's cases, 84 percent of the cases are in New Plymouth, 11 percent in South Taranaki and four percent are from Stratford.

Positive Covid-19 cases have also shown up at three residential aged-care facilities in New Plymouth.

The Taranaki District Health Board says the facilities have activated response plans to support staff and residents and minimise transmission.

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