A handful of beneficiaries who are against the Government's social welfare reforms which they call "draconian" and which they say will see families living in poverty have taken their protest to the street outside the office of Rotorua MP Todd McClay.
Armed with a megaphone and two large placards - one stating "your ideology is a crime" the other a barometer measuring the riot danger levels of those affected by the new policies - they stood on the grass opposite the Mr McClay's office yesterday afternoon.
They were opposing the new reforms which included cutting the benefits of those who didn't put their children into early childhood education or actively looked for work or training options. The policies also require people to respond to interviews and pass drug tests for jobs or have their benefits halved.
Chanze Mikaere, mother of 2-year-old Pia,, was taking part in the protest with about seven others.
She said people were angry about the new benefit reforms which would see them living well below the breadline, so were coming out in force right across the country to protest.