Linda Hall: That wasn't a protest, that was a political rally and a joke

I'm not sure what the Wellington protesters are protesting about.

What I am sure of is that, once again, Wellington has had to deal with traffic chaos, and that hundreds of police officers have been deployed to Wellington from around the country.

I, for one, am totally sick and tired of people blaming the Government for everything that goes wrong in their lives.

Exactly what is this protest about? Photo / NZME

All that police power was taken away for a day from our towns, cities and suburbs because the protesters wanted to hold a "court" on Parliament steps.

The thing with this protest was that everyone was protesting about something different.

I understood the anti-mandate protest. I didn't understand this one.

Some protesters were wearing tops with 'Leave Our Kids Alone' written on them. No one is trying to do anything to your children. They live in one of the safest countries in the world.

The Government is not trying to harm them. In fact, this particular Government has introduced a number of ways to help children, including lunches in schools.

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.

Another group were wearing tops with 'Enough is Enough'. There's some smaller text written underneath that I couldn't quite read. I think it said, "We are for the next generation".

If it did, so am I. Definitely for the next generation. That's what life is all about, really: taking care of the next generation and making sure they can live the best live possible.

At the moment, we aren't doing such a good job of keeping the planet cool enough for them to do that. But that's another story.

So I ask these protesters, enough is enough of what?

Everyone has a story about the last three years. Lockdowns, stress, whanau not being able to farewell their loved ones, the cost of living, the lack of houses, the weather, the list goes on.

However, Kiwis are usually known for their resilience. We get back up and carry on. We support our friends, our communities, we reach out and help, and yes, sometimes we do protest.

Unfortunately, the occupation earlier this year at Parliament which ended in violence has put everyone in the vicinity on edge about protests.

Businesses still trying to recover from the last three years are worried they are going to lose customers.

So make up your mind what you are protesting about. If it really was just a big rally and a platform for Tamaki to launch a new political party, then it's nothing short of a joke.

If Tamaki really wants to be seen as a leader doing good things, why doesn't he take a trip to Nelson, grab a shovel and help clear the mud and landslides?

That would be a far more productive use of all the protesters' time.

- Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.