Update on hīkoi activity at checkpoints
Police are continuing to monitor a group of protestors who
remain present at
the Southern boundary checkpoint in
Auckland.
The protestors have remained off to the side of
the road, with traffic able
to move safely through the
checkpoints.
Shortly after midday, a vehicle at the
Northern checkpoint at Te Hana blocked
SH1 northbound. A
woman was arrested and warned for obstruction and
the
vehicle was removed from the road.
No protestors are currently at the Northern checkpoint.
Police at the
Southern checkpoint at Mercer have been engaging with a
group
of protesters, including the occupants of two
vehicles – a car and a bus
deliberately parked to
obstruct traffic on SH1.
The occupants refused repeated
requests to move the vehicles throughout the
day,
claiming to have an exemption to travel through the
checkpoint.
Police have established that two occupants in
one vehicle had been granted an
exemption for permitted
travel across the boundary.
Occupants of the bus did not
have evidence of permitted travel and after
lengthy
engagement with Police, the protesters agreed to move the
bus off the
highway late this afternoon.
Police are
still considering possible enforcement action in relation to
this
matter.
The protesters’ actions today have
caused disruption and delays for those
travelling through
the checkpoint for legitimate reasons.
We thank those
members of the public who have been impacted by the delays
for
their patience and understanding.
We are frustrated
that significant time and resources are being committed
to
resolve this situation and we are very disappointed by
the actions of this
group of protestors who continue to
put the wider community and our staff
at
risk.