Brett McDonald
Volunteer Reporter
The BFD
I’ve been taking photos of the anti-mandate protests for a while now. I do this in my own time on a voluntary basis and submit them to The BFD — the only media outlet I could find at the time that would publish anything that opposed the vaccine mandates.
My initial motivation was the lack of objective photojournalism on this topic in legacy media, so I decided to get my own eyes on the events and share them with the world.
With the freedom convoy protestors occupying Jacinda’s front lawn – the only festival that isn’t cancelled – the government-sponsored media are finally stepping up with some objective photos, so I thought about giving up my hobby.
Then, I read the articles with their photos and found that they regularly complain about protestors being unkind to them, which I presume to be their reason for failing to interview many protestors or their leadership elements. So I put on a lanyard, wrote “Media for BFD” on it, and got to work on some fact-checking.
Here are the people I met today, and what they had to say to a guy politely asking them a few simple questions, namely, “Why are you here? Where have you come from? And how long will you stay?”
On my way to parliament grounds, I met Renee Palmer, who was admiring some subverted signage near Courtenay Place.
“I’m here for my children, their freedom and our future. I’m sick of the mandates, and what Jacinda is doing is insane. I flew up here yesterday from Invercargill and I’m heading back on Monday.”
When I arrived at the grounds I started asking people where I could find any leaders or representatives to talk to. I was given a contact that would meet with me soon. Meanwhile, I chatted with Wendy Hiha, who said the following.
“I came on the convoy from Motueka. I was going to stay in Picton, but when I saw the police brutality, I felt that I needed to be here in Wellington, so I came over on the ferry. I’m going back to occupy Picton tomorrow, and I’ll be staying there for as long as it takes.”
Next, I went over to interview that leadership contact that I was connected with earlier. Jackie Packer, facilitator for Kapiti Freedom Alliance, invited me to have a chat and a coffee under her tarpaulin on the grounds of Victoria University Law School.
“We want to reclaim our country and our human rights. We want the apartheid and the separation gone. Our human rights are not for the government to take. Our human rights are inalienable. The government has forgotten they work for us.”
“Kapiti Freedom Alliance started in 2020 with about eight of us; there are now 400 plus members. We came with the convoy and we’ll stay until the mandates are dropped. We are from Kapiti so we can duck home for anything we need.”
I thanked Jackie for her time, coffee and biscuits, and moved on to find another interviewee. Then I heard a rap duo giving an anti-mandate inspired performance, and chatted with them afterwards.
Wolf and his friend Nathan form the duo, Not My Aunty. Wolf was still feeling the hype and excitement from the overwhelming positivity of the crowd and shared these thoughts after catching his breath.
“I’m here because the mandates are still in place. So much science has come out now showing that the vaccines are not safe and effective, and the world is moving on from mandates. Friends and people I know have been injured and killed by the jabs, and the scientific community reporting on vaccine injuries are being silenced.”
“I’m here to speak up for all the kiwis suffering from the mandates. I came down from Tauranga on Monday night. I’d been to every protest so far. I tried to keep my head down and hold onto my full time job, but when I saw all the people coming here for the convoy, I broke down and cried. I decided right then that this matters more than my job. They need us here, so I’m staying as long as I need to stay.”
Next, I met with Glenn Inwood, who wanted to share a written statement rather than conduct an interview. His statement is as follows:
“The convoy has brought the many groups together to demand the Government ends the vaccine mandates and certificates. But ending those doesn’t mean Labour stays in power. Mandates and the Government’s resignation are intertwined. You don’t inflict discrimination and segregation on our society and get to remain in power, that’s the real message of this community at Parliament.”
“This is no ‘rabble’ as Hosking put it on radio. There are business people, tradesmen, police, firefighters, people from all walks of life joining here. They have a vision for our country that is founded on principles and rights that are protected from government over-reach. So many here are calling for an overhaul of our legal and political system. That’s revolutionary.”
Having chatted with a range of protestors, I decided it was time to head home and write it up. On my way out of the grounds, I saw a person yelling jeers at a mainstream media camera operator who was walking by. So I decided to interview him. Troy Denton shared the following.
“I’m here for my kids and their kids and for everyone in New Zealand. I came down from Sanson on Tuesday, and I’ll be here until it’s over. I’ve been standing in the background and waiting for my time to stand up. The other protests didn’t feel right with me, but when I saw the convoy, that inspired me and I felt that this is the right time. So I came down and stood here and held the line.”
“I was arrested on Thursday morning when we were holding the line as the police tried to kick us out. We had our 14 year old daughter on the frontline going hard too. After I got arrested, I didn’t know what I’d come back to. I expected to see the whole grounds cleared out. When I came back and saw that everyone was still holding their ground, I was so proud of them, the tears were rolling down my cheeks.”
Rappers, leaders, mothers, fathers and all manner of concerned citizens were out in force, smiling and holding ground in the rain. Rhythm & Parliament has not been cancelled, and I wasn’t jeered at once.
