A sea of banners and balloons covered Parliament grounds in Wellington at an anti-abortion rally this afternoon.
Abortion protesters in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Dan Dalgety
About 1200 people, including former prime minister Sir Bill English, were at the rally.
Justice Minister Andrew Little has previously said he wanted to decriminalise abortion and make it simpler to get one.
Speakers at the rally, including National MPs Simon O'Connor and Alfred Ngaro, urged the crowd to work to oppose and defeat such changes.
Mr O'Connor said people should stand up for what they believed in.
"I hope with your voices, we will not be silent. We will always stand for life - a consistent ethic of life.
"We will be proud, and we will never stop fighting."
Abortion protesters in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Dan Dalgety
One marcher Karen Meredith said she had a change of heart after seeing a family member go through a difficult time.
"My sister really struggled after an abortion.
"I just looked at it and thought, 'There's just got to be a better way, where you can look after her, look after her bubba.' "
Many of those at the rally had marched through Wellington's city centre to gather at Parliament.
