A ceremony has officially reopened the grounds of Parliament, almost two weeks after the violent scenes that ended the occupation by protesters.
The ceremony on Wednesday morning. Photo: RNZ / Hamish Cardwell
The ceremony was held shortly before 8am today to mark the reopening of the gates.
Fences remain in place around the lawn as it regrows and the playground is also still closed off. Some evidence of the protest remain including pieces of graffiti but most has been removed.
About 200 people, including senior politicians and Te Ati Awa representatives, were present at the ceremony this morning.
Speaker Trevor Mallard said the ceremony was part of returning the grounds to the public.
"It's just great to have the public back in here again, it's just really important for our democracy."
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson described the anti-mandate protest's occupation of Parliament grounds as the biggest challenge of his career.
The 22 days of the protest were the hardest three weeks he had as a politician, Robertson said.
He thanked local iwi, public servants and the police for their contributions to restoring order and mana to the grounds.
He also thanked the local council and community for their patience and cooperation and commended the bravery of school children who experienced abuse during the protest.
Children in New Zealand should never have had to be escorted to school by security guards, Robertson said.
He welcomed people back to the grounds and said he hoped New Zealanders would continue to have respectful protests there.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said it was wonderful to see the grounds of Parliament reopening.
"I think to be able to come back here in a peaceful way and acknowledge what's happened and move forward is important."
It was "without a doubt" one of his hardest experiences as commissioner.
Police who took part in handling the situation were proud of their efforts, Coster said.
"I think what you saw here in terms of the police approach was different to how we have done things in the past and different from what you would see play out in many other jurisdictions ... It's clearly a very significant day in our history and the history of the New Zealand police."
RNZ political editor Jane Patterson told Morning Report it was a symbolic ceremony that was part of the healing process as Parliament moved on.
In the future, security at the site would be boosted in the wake of the protests, she said.
