The Parliamentary Service has relocated the ACT Party's offices and installed a set of large metal doors in response to what one MP has described as a "security issue".
ACT leader David Seymour said he has been told the activity was in response to a "security issue". Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas
The offices have been temporarily moved out of the library building, which sits alongside Parliament House, as the illegal occupation outside Parliament approaches its fourth week.
ACT was first told the new metal doors were being installed last Saturday (19 February) and were asked the day after to stay away from the building for the following week.
The House was in recess so ACT's MPs and staff worked from home but the advice to stay away has since been extended and the party is now being housed elsewhere.
ACT leader David Seymour said he had been told the activity was a response to "a security issue" that may be connected to the protest outside Parliament.
"Once we understood that there might be some danger, we were very eager to have people either working from home or in another part of the building.
"So yes, we would have had concerns, but we're pleased that there's been some action, and we're now in a better part of the building," he said.
Seymour confirmed the recent installation of the set of metal doors and said he was sure the Parliamentary Service had "good reasons" for doing so.
He said he had not been told why the activity was going on beyond the existence of it being in response to " a security issue".
"We haven't been given specific reasoning but we understand that there may be a connection with the protest and we're obviously willing to be as cooperative as possible so that everyone can get through this."
RNZ approached the police who said they would not comment on any specific security issues.
"Police continues to have a 24-hour, high visibility presence at Parliament grounds and around the perimeter of the protest area," a spokesperson said.
The Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard said he would not be making any comments about matters related to security.
