Thousands support anti-lockdown hīkoi

About 2000 people have gathered at Waitangi to support an anti-lockdown group’s Northland-bound hīkoi that was blocked by police at Auckland’s southern border. The march, planned to travel from Rotorua to Northland, involved those against Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates, but was refused entry to Auckland, prompting marchers to spend Tuesday night camped on the roadside. A convoy of about 50 vehicles and about 100 people arrived at Auckland’s southern border checkpoint at Mercer late Tuesday intending to head to Waitangi. While the group – Sovereign Hīkoi of Truth (SHOT) – remained at a standstill at Mercer, several thousand people gathered at Waitangi to meet the hīkoi at its planned finishing point.