A Whakatāne woman says the atmosphere at the anti-vaccine mandate protest in Wellington reminds her of New Zealand 'as it should be”.

The protest outside Parliament is entering its 10th day and has attracted protesters from around the country, including a contingent from the Eastern Bay.

Rowena Hayes arrived in the capital with her horse truck on Friday after seeing disturbing images and footage, including one of a local teenager being pressed into the ground by police.

'It was a young man who got arrested, and the police were doing press-ups on his head,” she says.

'He's a 17-year-old guy from Whakatāne. He's still here, a sweet humble guy.”

Seeing such 'hectic” action prompted Rowena to travel to Wellington sooner than she had planned 'because they definitely need support down here”.

'It hasn't been like that since, the police have been very quiet, very well behaved,” she told the Beacon yesterday.

'They stand in a line. There's a barricade between us and them and today they walked among us and chatted to people.”

Rowena says there is 'absolutely no anger towards the police. We understand they are doing their jobs".

'There are people within the protesting crowd who were former police people, who got mandated out. They tell us how to manage things.

'There are a lot of talks from doctors and midwives, some of them are absolutely heartbreaking, who have been in the profession more than 40 years and mandated out of it.

'So, the whole thing is to stop the mandates due to the damage they have caused to so many people in New Zealand; it's totally wrong.”

Rowena says what is taking place in Wellington is not an anti-vaccine protest.

'What we're all about is pro-choice.

'If you want to put this stuff in your body, that is completely up to you, but a lot of people don't want to, and we should be respected as well.

'A lot of people down here have been vaccinated, but they have seen people who have been vaccine injured and they realised it wasn't such a good thing.

'We have the vaccinated and the unvaccinated being down here together being normal New Zealanders. Not segregated and not separating.”

Staying in her horse truck, she is 'completely independent” and has everything she needs to stay dry and comfortable.

'I found a nice flat park and I'm able to sleep in my truck.

'I have my niece with me, which is nice, and we are parked two minutes away from Parliament.”

Rowena says she feels sorry for the people who were camping when the southerly wind came through.

'I think it was on the Sunday when there were tents flying everywhere.”

The people of Wellington had come to the aid of the protesters during the atrocious weather.

'Honestly, I was just about in tears when I saw the people of Wellington. They were just coming by in the pouring rain dropping stuff off – it was amazing.

'This was the New Zealand we used to have once.”

'The people of Wellington were walking down, giving us tarpaulins, tent pegs, ropes, tents, sleeping bags.

'Someone turned up with a whole load of air mattresses, pumps and things like that.

'I spent my whole day on Sunday, from 9.30am to 5pm,handing out donated goods from the people of Wellington to rehouse everyone whose tents had blown away.”

When additional people arrived, the protesters gave out tents, sleeping mattresses and sleeping bags.

'There is an army, somewhere, of people who are cooking for us..

'Part of one of the streets is devoted to food. There are five or six marquees; you work your way through coffee, breakfast, lunch, food and nibbles.”

There is also a never-ending sausage sizzle and locals wandering about the grounds handing out warm brownies.

'The support is phenomenal.

'I'm blown away by the atmosphere. This would be the safest, happiest, most loving place.”

The protesting crowd represent a cross-section of New Zealanders, including professionals, tradespeople, ordinary workers and retirees.

'To see New Zealand as it was once, to see New Zealand as it should be – this is the place to be.”

- Whakatāne Beacon/Sven Carlsson.