A planned protest march across the Auckland Harbour Bridge later this month has been blocked after transport authorities declined to issue a permit, citing safety risks and major disruption to Auckland’s transport network.
The event, scheduled for January 31, was organised by the Freedom and Rights Coalition, a protest movement associated with controversial pastor Brian Tamaki. Organisers had sought approval to access the bridge for a march, but the request was rejected by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
NZTA national manager for maintenance and operations Andrew Clark said there was a “very high threshold” for allowing special events on the bridge, which he described as the country’s most critical transport asset.
“The Auckland Harbour Bridge is designed for a steady flow of vehicles and is not designed for use by pedestrians,” Clark said. He added that large groups of people walking across the bridge can cause swaying of the structure, generating vibrations and movement between the clip-on lanes and the central truss.
Clark also warned that the timing and duration of such events could lead to “substantial and widespread disruption” across Auckland’s already strained transport system, particularly during peak travel periods.
Police said they were well advanced in planning for any potential protest activity, despite the permit refusal. New Zealand Police Superintendent Naila Hassan said any attempt to access the motorway network without authorisation would be unlawful and met with enforcement action.
“Police recognise the right to peaceful and lawful protest,” Hassan said. “However, any access to the motorway network requires a permit, and no such permit has been issued.”
She said recent marches on the bridge’s clip-on lanes had posed risks of infrastructure damage and serious injury to participants, prompting a change in police advice regarding future access. Any protest through the centre lanes would likely force the closure of at least one direction of traffic, potentially disrupting emergency services and putting lives at risk.
Hassan said police had offered to work with organisers to identify alternative locations where a peaceful and lawful protest could proceed without endangering public safety.
