Credit / Freedoms and Rights Coalition NZ
Māori Wardens will escort anti-mandate protestors across Auckland Harbour Bridge today, according to an RNZ report.
Hundreds are expected to join the march, organised by Destiny Church's Freedoms and Rights Coalition, calling for the government's vaccine mandates to be 'gone by March 1st'.
RNZ says the Māori Wardens have said they will escort the group for "safety reasons".
Police, who will have a "significant" presence at the protest, said in a statement they will be "actively engaging" with the protestors to prevent them crossing the bridge due to "significant safety risks posed for those involved and the wider public".
Later Saturday, after the protestors had crossed the harbour bridge, the police issued an update in which they said they had "actively engaged" with the protest organisers in an effort " to deter them from unlawfully crossing the Auckland Harbour Bridge."
"In order to avoid escalating the situation and thus creating further significant safety risks to the public, Police closely monitored the group as they walked along the two outside lanes of the Harbour Bridge and all southbound lanes were closed in order to manage safety risks."