The Police Commissioner admits some tow companies are reluctant to help with the removal of vehicles near Parliament but says some towing will begin today.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The anti-mandate protest on Parliament's grounds and neighbouring streets is entering its ninth day.
Commissioner Andrew Coster told Morning Report he expects to see some of those vehicles towed today although it is unclear how many tow truck operators will take part.
A tow truck operator has told RNZ that the real reason the police have had difficulties getting towies to move vehicles is because many of them were sympathetic to the protesters' cause.
Greg Cox, who owns Wellington's Cox Heavy Salvage, said he had been contacted twice by police, and he had told them his vehicles were not available.
He said operators in the top half of the North Island were also refusing to help police.
Coster agreed that there had been some reluctance by tow companies to be involved.
He said they had had some "constructive engagement" with operators and some might still be wanting to play a part.
Some have said they had been threatened, while others said their vehicles were unavailable.
He said it was hard to gauge why the tow truck companies were reluctant and if they were sympathetic to the protesters.
"It's hard for me to speak for what's driving them but it's clear that they are reluctant, and that's very similar to the the treatment we saw overseas, Canada particularly has had a real problem with it."
Police are in touch with the Defence Force with a view to them helping with the removal operation.
"They have some capability, it won't be the whole answer to the problem."
Police have "some other tow capability" that they can draw on using some towing firms but he refused to discuss specifics.
"I expect you will see some tow activity today."
Constructive dialogue is also occurring with some of the protesters and he expects some of them will move their vehicles to a free parking area at Sky Stadium also.
"So that will be part of the answer."
Protesters' vans and cars blocking Molesworth St outside Parliament grounds, and tarpaulin awnings set up on the road and footpath. Photo: RNZ
Police said they would hold on to the vehicles they removed and probably the courts would decide what happened in terms of them being returned to their owners.
"That's the message to the protesters who are parked illegally - move your car to the stadium and we'll not have any further interest in it.
"Leave it where it is and we will take it and we won't be giving it back any time soon."
Coster is keen for a careful approach from police so they do not escalate the anger and resentment among protesters.
"It does call for patience. I know how frustrating the situation is for all concerned. It's an unacceptable impact on people in the central city but we just have to work it through."
Coster said while it was not the police's aim to arrest the protesters, aspects of their actions were unlawful.
These included the extended blocking of the roads which was the biggest problem and extensive structures that have been erected on Parliament's grounds.
Asked if Wellington police were caught out by the erection of tents at Parliament, where camping overnight is not allowed, Coster said the law around protest does not allow police many options early on to shut it down.
It was a balancing act, he said.
"Clearly this protest has crossed the line but the problem we have in the early stages is it might not have crossed the line but by then you have got a big problem on your hands."
"Clearly this protest has crossed the line" - Police Commissioner Andrew Coster
Morning Report invited protest organisers on to the programme to discuss their intentions for moving their vehicles but they said they were not yet ready to comment.
They have released a statement - issued on behalf of half a dozen groups including Voices for Freedom - which said they have been working with police on traffic management and are mindful of public safety and minimising disruption to those living and working in Wellington.
Towies are frightened - Wellington mayor
Wellington City Council has been engaging with towies who are under significant pressure, mayor Andy Foster says.
Some of them have been threatened over taking on the job of removing protesters' vehicles and he was unaware of any who were sympathetic to the protesters.
"The feedback I've had, and I know they've been spoken to by our senior management, they are frightened."
The towing of the vehicles was outside any contracts the council held with tow truck operators for vehicles parked illegally in the city.
Foster said it was unacceptable that the towies felt unsafe about accepting the work.
The mayor has visited the protest site several times and while most people seemed to be peaceful the site was "potentially intimidating".
Asked about offensive signs, such as pictures of nooses, Foster responded: "I think they would all do themselves a big favour if they stopped anybody behaving badly or they got rid of some of those signs.
"They would do everybody a favour. They would look more credible in the eyes of the public but those sorts of things will always let any movement down."
Foster said he wanted people to be able to move freely around the streets without the fear of being threatened or abused.
"We want business to be back operating. We want all those the day before yesterday so as quickly as it can be done is good.
"But we're working closely with police, supporting the police in the way they want."
'Impinging on others' freedoms' - Luxon
Protesters are calling for freedom but their actions are impacting on the freedom of others, National Party leader Christopher Luxon says.
He told Morning Report he is pleased there are plans to move protesters' vehicles because of the inconvenience to residents trying to get to schools and work and emergency services needing to move freely around the city.
He did not want to comment on the reluctance of tow truck operators to get involved because they are sympathetic to the protesters' cause.
He preferred to leave it to the police who he trusted would sort it out.
Luxon, like the government, has no intention of engaging with protesters because they had no defined leadership and they were difficult to deal with because their issues covered such a wide range.
"They range from white supremacists to separatists and everything in between.
"There's a wide range of issues from what we can gather from signage and things that range from anti-authority to anti-vaccination to anti-mandates...
"It's tough when you come here and want to protest about freedoms and you actually end up impinging on others' freedoms and the tone has been really anti-social and abusive."
National Party leader Christopher Luxon is trusting the police to remove vehicles that are blocking easy movement around the capital. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Luxon said the protesters should follow the rule of law and be respectful of others.
They did not seem to be taking into consideration that as a result of the occupation small businesses in the area were suffering.
"The tone has been really anti-social and abusive" - National leader Chris Luxon
Regarding his call for a timeline on the vaccine mandate, he said as Omicron becomes endemic in a community the effectiveness of vaccine passes and mandates diminishes.
He believes there needs to be a discussion on the criteria and triggers for when the timeline could be put in place for their removal.
"There's lots of other countries in the world who fundamentally as they've gone through this have had to say how they step out of it as well."
The country was "in for quite a ride over the coming weeks and months" as Omicron became endemic which was the pattern overseas so there should be clarity on the criteria for removing restrictions.
He said National does not want to see hospitality and tourism businesses fall over after two years of the pandemic and called on the government to defer spending on light rail and health restructuring and instead support the hardest hit sectors.
In response to blogger Cameron Slater's criticism that Luxon is "hiding behind Jacinda Ardern's skirts" regarding the protest, he said he did not know Slater and the National Party has been clear about its views on the protest from the start.