Large crowds gathered at Christchurch’s Cranmer Square today to protest at the New Zealand Government’s strict COVID-19 rules.

The event was organised by The Freedom & Rights Coalition Canterbury.

Similar protests were held in other cities and towns across New Zealand.

Freedom & Rights Coalition Canterbury spokesman Derek Tait told Chris Lynch “today’s stand was about our freedom of choice. Our freedom to choose was the main theme, having the right to be able to freely choose for ourselves personally.”

Tait said “the movement was gathering momentum”

Another protest would take place at parliament on the 9th of November and another protest was planned in Christchurch after that.

Tait said up to 7500 people attended today’s protest and said he wasn’t too concerned about locations of interest across Christchurch.

A police spokesman said “police were called to attend a gathering at Cranmer Square in Christchurch today where up to 2000 people were gathered.”

He said “those in attendance generally conducted themselves in a calm manner and adhered to rules around mask-wearing and social distancing.”

“No arrests were made, however, police will continue to assess and investigate the information gathered and take enforcement action against individuals where appropriate.”

What are the rules for outdoor gatherings?

At Alert Level 2, there are no restrictions on the number of people that can attend an event at a venue, for example at a stadium, cinema, theatre, casino, concert hall or conference venue — as long as everyone can safely stay 1 metre apart. Attendees can be seated or standing. This includes indoor and outdoor event facilities, and both ticketed and non-ticketed events.

The Ministry of Health says events that are held outdoors but not at an event facility — for example a concert at a park, a parade, or an organised sporting event like an amateur club rugby tournament must follow the rules for social gatherings. These are limited to 100 people in any defined indoor or outdoor space.