The Prime Minister's security detail has cut a media briefing short in Auckland.
Christopher Luxon was holding a press conference on Friday, after a walkabout with police to discuss concerns with businesses in the CBD.
Luxon was talking with media when one of his security officers could be seen coming into the business, actively looking around, before placing a hand on the Prime Minister's shoulder and informing him they had to leave now.
An RNZ journalist at the briefing says he understands protesters were en route to the location, but the prime minister left before they had arrived.
'We expect the churches to face up to their responsibility'
Earlier, speaking to reporters, the prime minister said churches behind the faith-based care institutions need to be "fully responsible and accountable", and destruction of records "doesn't sound right".
Friday's standup followed the release of the Royal Commission's report into abuse in care this week, a massive 16-volume report still being digested by the survivors and the public.
"We expect the churches to face up to their responsibility," Luxon said.
The report noted the president of the Law Society had advised the head of Presbyterian Support Otago to destroy records of children in its care to protect the organisation's reputation.
Frazer Barton told Morning Report he had advised Gillian Bremner to "destroy them at an appropriate time - that's not 'go ahead and destroy them now'". The files were destroyed in 2017 and 2018.
Luxon said he had not been briefed on that but the government wanted to ensure records were available - including being available to survivors.
"I haven't seen what he's particularly briefed or asked," Luxon said. "All I'm focused on is actually responding to the recommendations, working with the survivors, making sure that churches are held responsible for the abuse that they've caused as well."
Asked to comment on his reaction to hearing that records had been destroyed, he said "it doesn't sound good, it doesn't sound right, it doesn't sound what we're asking churches to do."
He said the churches should front up and be held accountable.
"We're asking for them to be fully responsible and accountable."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster walk the beat in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Dylan Jones
Police beat teams
He was also joined by Police Minister Mark Mitchell, and Associate Police Minister Casey Costello and Retail Crime Ministerial Advisory Group head Sunny Kaushal after police added another 21 officers to their CBD beat teams this month, bringing the team to 51.
It is part of a drive to expand the number of police visible on city streets, with the Auckland team expected to increase to 63, another 17 officers joining the Wellington team, and 18 more in Christchurch.
Luxon said the expanded teams was a "great start, and more than a great start ... it's a collaborative effort and what you're seeing here is that there's really good join-up."
He said with cruise ships coming back to New Zealand, it was important to do better and it was important for people to feel safe.
Mitchell said it was also about having all the govenrment and community agencies working together. He said the briefing he had seen from police showed crime was starting to trend down.
"It's only early signs, it's green shoots ... I don't have the numbers that I can give to you today but it's numbers that police have been working on."
Coster said it was a long-term thing that needed to be seen having a continued effect.
