Jacinda Ardern Aotea Centre talk met by anti-vaccine protesters in Auckland

Around 50 anti-vaccine activists descended on Aotea Square tonight to protest Dame Jacinda Ardern’s appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival.

The protesters carried large placards and formed a semicircle at the foot of the staircase, partially blocking food trucks and an activities marquee, near the main entrance to the Aotea Centre, where Ardern was due to speak at 7.30pm.

Event attendees were advised of heightened security measures, including additional screening, wand scanning, and bags larger than A4 size not being permitted, police said.

They were also warned that anyone who left the venue during the event would not be readmitted and any attendee causing disruption would immediately be removed.

The former Prime Minister spoke about her book A Different Kind of Power, winner of the E.H. McCormick Prize for General Non-Fiction, which is for the best first book of general non-fiction.

Ardern had been back in the country for promotional tours of her memoir, which won $3000 in prizemoney at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards on Wednesday.

Ardern has donated the cash to literacy charity Read New Zealand Te Pou Muramura.

Dame Jacinda Ardern's address at the 2026 Auckland Writers Festival was met with protest. Photo / Supplied

Anti-mandate, conspiracy theory and alternative media group Counterspin Media livestreamed the demonstration on Facebook, where one protester claimed to have been pushed to the ground by a festivalgoer.

A witness said the incident appeared unprovoked and followed an argument about harm caused by the Covid vaccine.

Another protester claimed a festival attendee tore a placard from their hands.

Anti-vaccine activists protesting Dame Jacinda Ardern's appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival. Photo / Supplied

There was a small police and security presence at the event.

Foot traffic slowed after the start of the presentation and protesters packed their signs and left shortly after.

Police earlier told the Herald they were aware of the writers’ event and would monitor and “deal with any issues if they arise”.

Protesters outside Auckland's Aotea Centre. Photo / Supplied

Counterspin Media posted to its Facebook page last week, notifying of three pop-up protests, as well as an after-party.

The post included the following wording: “5:30pm SHARP!”

“Pop-up team and volunteers assemble with banners + signs outside Aotea Centre Queen St front entrance to greet attendees queuing for the Jacinda Ardern event in the Aotea Centre’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre.”