NZ

Wellington unleashes parking wardens in operation to remove Covid protesters

Tess McClure in Auckland -
The Guardian


New Zealand officialdom is wielding a new frontline force against the Ottawa-inspired anti-vaccine convoy occupying the capital’s inner city: parking wardens.

Since Tuesday, Wellington has faced traffic delays and closed streets, as a collective of anti-vaccine-mandate protesters left cars, vans and buses parked in the capital city in their effort to occupy parliament’s lawn.

By Thursday afternoon, the protesters’ time was up, and the wardens hit the streets, apparently with popular support from the city’s residents.

Related: New Zealand police clash with anti-vaccine protesters at parliament, over 120 arrested

Wellington city council said it had issued about 120 tickets, and was still dishing out fines. Each warden was accompanied by two police officers for their safety. Fines of NZ$40-$60 (£20-£30) apiece were issued for parking in bus stops, on yellow lines, and the broader charge of “inconsiderate parking”. Those who opted to remain and ignore their fines would be towed, a spokesperson said.

The council said it had received demands from frustrated Wellingtonians that they start issuing tickets and an outpouring of support – a rare occurrence for parking wardens, who are not always viewed with universal affection by residents.

The council had been “a heavy amount” of correspondence “from Wellingtonians about the fact that we need to get in there and sock it to these protesters basically”, a spokesperson said.

“The amount of support we’ve had … is very, you know, very unusual for parking wardens – they don’t usually get support for enforcement.”

On social media, some protesters and their affiliates took novel approaches to enforcement efforts – with some advising that if they refused to provide consent to be arrested or issued a ticket, it was not legally binding. Others believed they could issue their own counter-fine of $40,000 to the council for breaching their wishes by putting a ticket on the car.

“Let’s see whether that works for them,” the council spokesperson said. “That’s not our concern. Regardless of whether we have their consent, they will be towed.”

New Zealanders who object to the vaccine make up a small fragment of the overall population – 95% of those aged 12 and over are now vaccinated with two doses. Estimates of the convoy protesters’ numbers have fluctuated as the crowd wanes – from up to 3,000 down to about 1-200.