Restore Passenger Rail climate change protesters disrupt traffic on Great South Rd near Newmarket, central Auckland

A climate activist group is halting traffic on a vital link between south and central Auckland today in what they are calling a “Santa parade with a twist”.

About 20 Restore Passenger Rail protesters are marching down Great South Rd towards Newmarket, being led by a person dressed as Santa holding a mask of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and a bunch of balloons that list the results of climate change.

“This Santa is bad, not good,” said spokesman Joseph Fullerton.

“His sack is full of horrid gifts like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and other heat-trapping pollution that will make sure your future is short and full of nasty things like cyclones, droughts, floods, food shortages, and angry adults.”

He said the Santa bore a passing resemblance to our new Prime Minister to remind us of other people from his coalition Government.

Restore Passenger Rail protesters say their 'bad Santa' carries in his sack all things bad for the environment.

This will be the third day in a row the activist group has carried out a protest. They began with spray-painting the windows of two Auckland luxury car yards at 100 and 119 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, on Wednesday.

“We are doing a peaceful protest by slowly marching down Great South Rd ... this is one of the areas most in need of climate action,” Fullerton said.

“It’s a busy street, so in a flood, there’s nowhere for people to go.”

He said the Government isn’t taking enough action over climate change, so the group has been holding public protests to try to raise the profile of the issue.

“The reason we do these actions that disrupt the public instead of the politicians is because ... you need some action before they will pay any attention ... even after the anniversary floods.”

He said New Zealand has an outsized emissions profile that will be worsened by the National-led Government’s plans to build more highways.

“I’m just 21 years old, a student, and I’m looking forward [in my future] to floods every single year.”

The group also hinted at a “surprise at the end of the march”.

A Restore Passenger Rail protester vandalised Auckland car yards in a protest against inequality and climate change.

Fullerton said the group were targeting luxury car showrooms because the expensive vehicles were symbols of greed and climate change.

“Those buying these obscenely expensive cars, up to $600,000 a shot, are getting richer while their excesses fuel more floods, cyclones and droughts.”

Yesterday, a dozen members of the group disrupted an Auckland Council meeting by lying on the floor, wearing pyjamas and dressing gowns and holding signs saying “Wake Up! Climate Crisis”.

Supporters from the Restore Passenger Rail protest group interrupt an Auckland Council meeting calling for immediate action on the climate

Group member Caz Sheldon read a “bedtime story” in which she said the council had declared a climate emergency in 2019, “then strangely a sleeping sickness came over the council”.

She talked about the Auckland Anniversary floods and the “three-headed monster of the new Government.”

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.