Police will be working to stop anyone from walking over the Auckland Harbour Bridge during an upcoming anti-mandate protest with fears any attempt to march on one of the country's busiest stretches of motorway will prove disruptive and put lives at risk.
Protesters wanting vaccine mandates removed on March 1 are planning to walk across Auckland Harbour Bridge this Saturday.
The Freedom and Rights Coalition have revealed on Facebook as part of a national campaign to "March Out these Mandates" they will be walking over the bridge as part of the Auckland demonstration.
An Auckland councillor says this sort of disruption is the last thing the Aucklanders need as thousands deal with contracting Covid and caring for sick during the biggest outbreak of the pandemic to date.
And Auckland mayor Phil Goff has criticised any plans for protest action to impact on the lives of others.
The AA today condemned the proposed march and hoped the city did not end up in a situation with a crowd attempting to walk across the bridge among live traffic and putting people's lives at massive risk.
A police spokesperson said police were aware of the protest and would be contacting organisers to "begin a dialogue" and set out expectations.
"Crossing the Harbour Bridge on foot would be unlawful and so Police will be working to prevent this as it could be extremely dangerous to those walking on the bridge and to other road users," said the spokesperson.
While in general police did not comment on operational matters there had been no applications submitted to have the Auckland Harbour Bridge closed to traffic.
"We will be contacting the organisers to begin dialogue with them around this and to set our expectations while also acknowledging a person's right to lawfully protest," said the spokesperson.
Waka Kotahi today said there were no plans ahead of the march to close the Auckland Harbour Bridge despite anti-mandate demonstrators flagging they plan to traverse the landmark structure on foot.
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said the road agency had not been contacted by organisers of the demonstration and there were no plans to close the bridge to traffic.
"NZ Police will lead the response to this demonstration, with Waka Kotahi providing support to ensure the safe management of traffic in the area," said the spokesperson.
The AA's Motoring Affairs principal adviser advocacy Martin Glynn said the AA would have serious concerns about safety as well as traffic disruption if a march over the harbour bridge was attempted.
The bridge spanning Auckland's central CBD and the North Shore was one of the busiest stretches of motorway in New Zealand and it would be hugely dangerous if people attempted to walk over it without proper precautions having been set up to keep vehicles and marchers separated, he said.
"There have been protest marches over the bridge in the past but they need to be well organised and sanctioned by authorities to ensure the people marching and all other users of the bridge are safe and traffic disruption is minimised.
"As far as we know the news of this possible protest march has only recently become known and the authorities have no plans in place to accommodate it so hopefully we do not end up in a situation with a crowd attempting to walk across the bridge among live traffic and putting people at massive risk."
The planned harbour bridge protest will see people gather on a North Shore domain close to the Northern Motorway.
Auckland Council North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills said while he supported peaceful protest, what had unfolded in Wellington had neither been peaceful nor legal.
"We do not need this sort of disruption to our city when right now thousands of Aucklanders are dealing with contracting Covid and taking care of friends and whānau who have Covid, our hospitals and health workforce are under pressure and businesses and local residents are already anxious and finding it tough during the biggest outbreak of the pandemic.
"I would hope police will do their best to peacefully and safely prevent people illegally walking over or occupying the harbour bridge or our local parks."
He made a plea to protesters to consider how tough the past two years had been for everyone and to try and get through this very difficult period together as health requirements were progressively removed.
He said the overwhelming majority of Aucklanders had followed the health advice to get through this pandemic with 97 per cent vaccinated, 90 per cent of whom were vaccinated even before vaccine passports and the majority of mandates were announced.
In a statement to the Herald, Goff said: "The right to protest is a fundamental and valued part of democratic society. That does not however give anyone protesting the right to consider themselves above the law.
"The role of the Police is to uphold the law – though they have independence to determine how they respond operationally to any breaches. I would expect the Police to respond strongly to any action that puts lives, safety, or property at risk.
"Any protest that needlessly and significantly disrupts the lives of others both invites a police response and will fail to win sympathy from the wider public for its views."
Auckland Transport said any disruption on the bridge could potentially affect thousands of passengers that relied on its bus services to get around the city.
"The Auckland Harbour Bridge is a critical link for passengers on AT Metro services connecting the Hibiscus Coast and North Shore with Auckland's City Centre and beyond," said a spokesperson.
"Police have reiterated that crossing the bridge on foot is unlawful and extremely dangerous and we urge the organisers to engage with Police on the significant safety risks involved."
Auckland Transport would be working closely with Police, Waka Kotahi and public transport operators to manage any disruption arising from the protest, said the spokesperson.
As well as the large Auckland demonstration, the coalition, connected with Brian Tamaki's Destiny Church, are also advertising protest action to take place in Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Nelson and Christchurch.
The coalition group said they intended "making a statement at significant landmarks" across New Zealand.
They touted them as "peaceful, family-friendly" events.
During a Facebook Live session this morning Brian Tamaki did not refer to the protest action but reiterated his message to end mandates on March 1.