Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Covid 19 coronavirus: Lockdown protesters march in Rotorua

David Beck
David Beck
Multimedia sports journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
5 Sep, 2020 12:33 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
A group of Rotorua protesters do not want the Government telling them what to do. Photo / David Beck

A group of Rotorua protesters do not want the Government telling them what to do. Photo / David Beck

A group of protesters unhappy with the Government's current alert levels made their presence felt in Rotorua today.The protesters gathered at Te Manawa, the intersection of Hinemoa and Tutanekai Sts, in an attempt to gain support for their "anti-lockdown" message.

The signs they carried covered a range of topics including "freedom is essential", "it's not about your health, it's about control", "paedophilia the real virus" and "ban 1080".

Many of the protesters claimed to be supporters of the Advance NZ political party.

One of the organisers, Crystaline Verhagen, said the protest was a freedom march for all of Rotorua.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's against lockdown and it's about our freedom to be able to choose if we want vaccinations, if we want 5G and if we want to be in lockdown.

"It's only the flu season, there's no need for lockdowns, there's no need for masks. People are actually killing themselves by wearing masks because they're breathing in their own toxins.

"[The Government] just want us all sick, that's why they're asking us to do it, to become more sick. If masks work, why do we need to be two metres apart? I haven't taken medicine for 30 years and we're healthy people, we don't take vaccinations and we filter our water."

She said the public response to the protest had been "very good".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Only the silly people wearing masks tell us to 'get real'."

Hubert Verhagen said his grandad lived to 104.

"I asked him how he got to live so long and he said 'keep smiling and breathing'. Just breathe and smile and be heard."

Another protester Jordyn Barbour said she and her husband usually sell organic produce at the Rotorua Farmers' Market, which is not allowed to continue under alert level 2 restrictions.

Discover more

No crowds allowed at Steamers preseason game

01 Sep 12:50 AM

Homeless woman speaks out: 'I'm so grateful for the taxpayer'

02 Sep 12:00 AM

Community rallies behind different Daffodil Day

02 Sep 10:06 PM

Low housing stock and high demand driving real estate industry post-Covid

02 Sep 11:16 PM

"These lockdowns have a financial impact but it also affects people's mental health. There's unemployment, people can't survive. This cannot continue, there has to be a better way. We can't have the economy ruined because a ruined economy ruins lives anyway," she said.

The Ministry of Health website says wearing a mask or face covering can reduce the risk of people who have Covid-19 spreading the virus to others.

"They may feel well or have no obvious symptoms. A mask or face covering can help stop infectious droplets spreading when they speak, laugh, cough or sneeze. This is referred to as 'source control'.

"Masks and face coverings can be useful if there is known community transmission and people are near each other (less than two metres apart). For example, in shops or other confined or crowded environments."

The website also says anyone who has been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of Covid-19 should self-isolate.

"If you have been told that you are a close contact then you need to self-isolate for 14 days from the last date of contact with the case while they were considered infectious.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"You will be asked to self-isolate at home or, in some specific circumstances (eg, a dependant is a confirmed case) at a managed facility."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

'Heart of gold': Rotorua teen's act of kindness goes viral

19 Sep 06:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Man with 5000 child abuse images avoids prison term

19 Sep 02:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Radio host signs off after decades on air

19 Sep 12:00 AM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Heart of gold': Rotorua teen's act of kindness goes viral
Rotorua Daily Post

'Heart of gold': Rotorua teen's act of kindness goes viral

The community is now rallying to support his US exchange dream.

19 Sep 06:00 PM
Man with 5000 child abuse images avoids prison term
Rotorua Daily Post

Man with 5000 child abuse images avoids prison term

19 Sep 02:00 AM
Radio host signs off after decades on air
Rotorua Daily Post

Radio host signs off after decades on air

19 Sep 12:00 AM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP