2022 Mandate Protest/Mautohe

Whāinga ako: Lesson Goals

To explore why people protested against COVID-19 rules and how this protest turned from peaceful to disruptive.

What was this about?

In 2022, people gathered at Parliament in Wellington to protest against the government’s COVID-19 vaccine rules, especially the rule that some jobs required people to be vaccinated (called a “mandate”).

At first, the protest was about freedom of choice and job rights. But as more people joined, it became a mix of different protests — some about the vaccine, others about trust in the government, or different personal beliefs.

The protest lasted for weeks and ended when police removed the group after it became unsafe.