Farmers arrive on tractors in Auckland CBD for the Groundswell protest. Photo: RNZ / Mohammad Alafeshat
Tractors are beginning to arrive on central city roads as part of a nationwide protest organised by Groundswell.
The farmer advocacy group opposes the government's emissions pricing scheme plan and expects "thousands" will vent their feelings from midday.
The Groundswell protest convoy of tractors began to arrive in Auckland CBD at about 11.30am with traffic already beginning to build up.
Farmers protesting in the streets of central Wellington at midday were met by a counter-protest from an envrionmental group.
Meanwhile, about half a dozen tractors arrived in Central Dunedin just before midday sporting signs reading "stop strangling farmers" and "more regulations = less food".
Environmentalists stage a counter-protest as members of Groundswell demonstration make their way through central Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Groundswell New Zealand co-founder Bryce McKenzie told Morning Report the protest would takeover the roads in all the main centres today, along with demonstrations in some small towns.
Although he admitted it would undoubtedly cause traffic disruption, it was "not intentional" and would be completely legal.
"We will be going slower than people in cars, in that respect there will be disruption, we won't let traffic build up too much we'll try and get out of the road and let them pass and that'll be the same no matter where," McKenzie said.
About half a dozen tractors arrive in Central Dunedin for the Groundswell protest. Photo: RNZ / Tim Brown
With protest group Restore Passenger Rail actively disrupting traffic in Wellington over the last week, McKenzie said he could say nothing to motorists annoyed with today's further delays but sorry.
"All I can say is we apologise but the whole thing about it is if you've got a government that won't listen you have to do things so people take notice and as I said we're going to try and keep it as legal as we can."
A tractor arrives in Auckland CBD for the protest sporting messages critical of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo: RNZ / Mohammad Alafeshat
McKenzie said the protest was not necessarily campaigning for farmers to be exempt from paying for emissions.
"Let's work out how it's going to be best for the farmers and the country, the problem being is that if you just charge willy nilly for something that you actually have no solution to, then it's a tax, it's not actually what supposed to be."
He said farmers already paid taxes for their emissions and their high consumption of petrol and diesel also contributed to their outlay.
A member of the Groundswell protest in Wellington holds a sign calling for government to drop its ute tax. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Groundswell protest could eventually end up on the footstep of Parliament but for now it was focused on educating the urban population on farmers' disputes with the government's new emissions policies.
After previous protests saw some vehicles involved sporting offensive messaging, McKenzie said he could not confirm similar sentiment would be displayed by some protesters today.
"I'd love to say yes but that'd be a pipe dream, hopefully I'm proved wrong and everybody does stay on message, we've been trying to make sure that happens but people will be people."
Farmers arrive on tractors in Auckland CBD for Groundswell protest. Photo: RNZ / Mohammad Alafeshat
If clearly offensive messages were found on demonstrating vehicles they would try to get them removed but this could result in aggressive behaviour, he said.
"That becomes a bit of a risk because we're not law enforcement, I saw an indication of it happen at one of our protests where people tried to stop an offensive sign that people had and it got really aggressive and it's a bit of an issue."
Speaking to reporters in Auckland, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: "We are in the middle of a very genuine process here. We want to be out and are out talking to our farmers and our food producers as to the best possible design for the system. Bear in mind our starting point has been the system that came to us from the sector themselves. We've made some small changes and now we're asking for views on that.
"My focus is on working constructively with our food producers to get the best possible outcome for them and for New Zealand."
