Anti-drilling protesters charged with wilful damage

The Auckland Harbour Bridge at twilight. Photo / Steven McNicholl

A group of protesters arrested this morning on Auckland's Harbour Bridge claim to be "fighting for Mother Earth".

Police said five men and two women aged 18 to 30 years got out of a car which had stopped in the southbound lane on the northern side of the bridge at about 8.30am.

The car then continued across the bridge to a nearby marina.

Police allege the group smashed a lock on the gate to access the top of the structure.

Witnesses said the protesters were on the top span of the bridge, with a placard and Maori flag.

Police section manager John Fraser said a group of seven men had been taken into custody at the North Shore Policing Centre after 9am.

Waitemata police communications manager Kevin Loughlin said all have been charged with wilful damage and unlawfully being on enclosed premises.

They will appear in the North Shore District Court on Friday.

The driver of the car was also arrested.

There was only minor disruption to traffic flows and the incident was over in about 20 minutes.

Well-known activist Hone Popata said his brother Wikitana Popata was one of the group arrested.

The group, which he said included Pakeha and other ethnicities, had planned to chain themselves to the bridge and they had taken signs which read "no to oil drilling in Aotearoa".

The group was against mining activities undertaken by companies such as Petrobras on the East Coast.

"We want to look after mother earth. We're fighting for the generations of tomorrow."

The message is to John Key and his government that this is election year and the heat is going to go on.

Mr Popata and his brother were convicted and each sentenced to 100 hours' community work for the 2009 Waitangi assault on Mr Key.

- NZ Herald staff