August 17 2021. Auckland and Coromandel will go into level 4 lockdown for seven days – and the rest of the country for three days – following news of a community Covid-19 case in NZ's biggest city. Video / NZ Herald / Getty
Four people have been arrested while protesting the Covid-19 lockdown in Tauranga as several events are held across New Zealand.
A police spokeswoman said of the four people arrested, three were issued with formal warnings.
A 56-year-old woman is due to appear in the Tauranga District Court on August 23facing one charge under the Health Act 1956.
The actions of the anti-lockdown activists and Covid-19 deniers has been lambasted by the nation's top cop, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.
Protests were held in Tauranga, Nelson and Auckland — where controversial musician and politician Billy Te Kahika was arrested while leading the gathering.
Takitimu Drive in Tauranga on the first morning of lockdown. Photo / George Novak
New Zealand moved into a snap lockdown at 11.59pm on Tuesday after it was discovered a 58-year-old man from Devonport tested positive for Covid-19.
The man has the Delta variant of the virus, which is known to be more severe and spreads more easily than the original form of Covid-19.
The Tauranga protest took place outside the city's central police station.
"Police made a number of attempts to engage with around 20 people gathered outside the station, however, four were taken into custody when they repeatedly refused to comply with Alert Level 4 restrictions," Coster said.
Outdoors Party co-leader Sue Grey, who is based in Nelson, said a party board member had been arrested outside the Tauranga Central Police Station this morning when protesting.
"She was arrested at around 10am this morning for allegedly breaching one of these new orders that the government passed at midnight," she said.
She understood a group of people gathered outside the station to protest the impact on their freedom under the Bill of Rights Act.
"A large number of police came out and I believe arrested four people including a couple of elderly woman. They have taken a really hard line in Tauranga."
She said the Outdoors Party did not organise the protest in Tauranga but supported the arrested board member.
Earlier today the party's social media posted an invitation to the "Tauranga lockdown protest action".
