Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Northland police make two arrests as 'little pockets' of silent protesters gather around the region

Northland police at Forum North car park in downtown Whangārei where anti-Government protesters were gathering sporadically on Tuesday. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Police arrested the organiser of a silent demonstration in Northland as she protested against "abusive" governments at home and across the ditch.

The woman was apprehended outside the Far North District Council building in Kaikohe shortly after 9am on Tuesday for breaching Covid restrictions.

A second person was arrested in Whangārei for breaching level 4 restrictions. The person was part of around 20 protesters gathered around Mander Park, Cafler Park and the council buildings in the Forum North area.

The person was later released by police and issued with an infringement notice.

Another 17 people were arrested nationwide for failing to comply with level 4 restrictions as they took part in anti-lockdown protests.

Four arrests were made in Auckland, three in Hamilton, six in Tauranga, two in Whanganui, and one in both Taupō and Christchurch.

A demonstration took place outside the Nelson City Council building but no arrests were made.

Police Sergeant Ryan Gray said Northland officers were well aware the FreemasonDeloy protest was set to go ahead on August 31.

A police action plan had already been drawn up which involved a bolstered police presence at parks and council buildings in downtown Whangārei, Kaitaia and Kaikohe.

Gray said Northland police had no trouble dispersing the "little pockets" of gathered protesters, who complied with officers on the day.

He said the two arrests were the result of previously ignored warnings police had separately issued the pair regarding alert level 4 restrictions.

An eight-page flyer about Tuesday's supposed transtasman demonstration - penned by Northlander Karen Brewer - has circulated the region for months.

Not only was it crammed into unsuspecting Northlanders' letterboxes, it was handed out at a Significant Natural Areas meeting in Kāeo on June 3 and later at a ute tax protest in Kerikeri on July 16.

Stickers linked to the protest had been pasted over Northland, including on top of displayed QR codes.

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A number of Northlanders had taken to social media to vent their frustration at the material, which encouraged everyone to be part of the 31.5 million people on both sides of the ditch to tell both governments "enough is enough".

"Your voice is mighty. Your presence deafening. Together we are mighty," the flyer read.

The protest came a day after Police Commissioner Andrew Coster warned Kiwis now was not the time to throw caution to the wind or take unnecessary risks.

Coster said while protests were a "normal feature" of a "well-functioning" democracy, lockdown breaches remained unacceptable.

"...police have a low tolerance for anyone who deliberately ignores the restrictions in the current situation. Today's arrests reflect that."

Since alert level 4 came into place, 118 people have been charged with a total of 126 offences nationwide - with 17 in Northland.