As dawn lifted on the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1835, 80 people woke to a new day after resisting government pressure to shut down their camp which is pushing for a GE-Free New Zealand. The mood is jubliant and peaceful.

Overnight, people have donated food, tents, and moral support to the campers. By 9:00PM last night the amount of tents had doubled by to 14 and there were 100 determined citizens on Parliament grounds in peaceful defiance of Jonathon Hunt's orders.

Members of the public showed aroha and support by donating food and tents, and joining them.

As one protestor said "Biosecurity is the biggest issue at the moment. The Government is against the mandate of the people. We're damp, but we're still laughing"

There will be an information stall about the Declaration of Independence as part of the camp today. Activist Kate Lowe said "To me the GE issue is a part of the continuing process of colonisation. The failure of the Government to listen to tangata whenua on this issue is symptomatic of Crown and Maori relations over time. They have shown a systematic disregard of the Maori worldview".

Campers are inviting more people to come and join them in their peaceful resistance to the Government.

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