The crowd of protesters at Parliament has grown again, despite howling southerly winds and rain as Cyclone Dovi buffeted the Wellington region. 

There were small numbers earlier this morning, and the protesters had to fix some of the tents which were hit by the gales, but a truckload of hay has now arrived and has been spread out to carpet Parliament's lawn. 

As with the last three days, Police are continuing to stand and monitor the protest without making attempts to enter the protest area or clear the grounds. 

Speaker Trevor Mallard's still has music, trespass notices and Covid-19 vaccination promotions booming out of the speakers. 

His tactics have copped criticism from Act leader David Seymour, who said the Speaker needed to grow up. 

"All MPs have chosen to ignore these protesters, except for Mallard who has waved a red rag to them. 

"Trevor Mallard needs to leave the response to Police. It's not for politicians to interfere with silly pranks." 

Mallard has not yet commented on whether Police approved of his decisions to use the speakers or set off Parliament's sprinklers on Thursday night. 

Mallard's current playlist includes James Blunt's You're Beautiful. 

Earlier this morning, James Blunt took to Twitter to offer his songs for the playlist. 

An instrumental version of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On is also on the repeat loop – played on a recorder. 

Earlier today, protestors were singing along and dancing to Mallard's early morning picks of Baby Shark and Frozen's Let It Go. By 11am, the speakers were blasting "You're Beautiful", the Blunt hit song that also regularly features in "world's worst songs" playlists. 

Mallard's playlist today also includes an instrumental version of Celine Dion's Titanic hit My Heart Will Go On, played on a recorder. 

High emotions today with James Blunt playing. Photo / James Blunt 

Vehicles are still blocking Molesworth Street, and what can be seen of the lawn is a mess of mud and hay. 

Truck delivers bales of hay 

A truck has delivered hundreds of bales of hay that are now being used to cover the lawn outside parliament. 

Protesters carrying bales of hay to spread on the muddy lawn during the anti-vax, anti-mandate and anti-Government protest and occupation at Parliament in Wellington. 13 February, 2022. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

Protesters carrying bales of hay to spread on the muddy lawn. Photo / George Heard 

Act leader slams Trevor Mallard's 'silly pranks' 

Act leader David Seymour has responded to Speaker Trevor Mallard's use of sprinklers and annoying repetitive music to try to deter Parliament's protesters by saying Mallard "needs to grow up". 

Seymour said he did not agree with the way the protesters had behaved and most politicians had chosen to simply ignore it but Mallard's tactics were only encouraging them. 

"All MPs have chosen to ignore these protesters, except for Mallard who has waved a red rag to them. 

"Trevor Mallard needs to leave the response to Police. It's not for politicians to interfere with silly pranks." 

"It's like he thinks he's Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone and few silly pranks will scare the trespassers away. What's next? Placing buckets of water on doors left ajar? 

"He's even taken to Twitter saying he will take suggestions from the public about what music to play. New Zealand deserves more maturity from the Speaker of the House. 

"Not only are Mallard's antics immature, not only are the ineffective, they have made a serious situation much worse. His petty behaviour has only encouraged the protesters further." 

He said Mallard needed to clarify whether he sought police advice before taking the actions. Seymour also took a swipe at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has been quiet since Thursday. 

"The Beehive is under siege, and where is our Prime Minister? Jacinda has been MIA for the past few days created a vacuum for Trevor. Where is the Prime Minister and why isn't she showing leadership?" 

He said it was time for Ardern to review strict vaccination mandates and assess if they were still fit for purpose. Act's policy is to allow unvaccinated people to instead undergo regular testing. 

"Mandates may reassure people that others will not pass on COVID, but so does regular testing." 

"We need to start looking at our response and whether it's still fit for purpose. We need to talk like adults, look at the facts and not get distracted by silly pranks and fringe groups. 

Grant Robertson talks of protest's toll on MPs' families 

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said this morning that the protests at Parliament had taken a toll on MPs' families. 

"Every New Zealander has a right to peaceful protest," Robertson told TVNZ's Q+A. "The problem is they have gone well beyond that. 

"I do find the rhetoric of these protests highly disturbing. There was chalk writing on the forecourt of Parliament that [said] 'hang politicians'. Our families see that. 

"This is a continuation of the harassment the Prime Minister sees, of the kinds of … bullying that is associated with these people. 

"There is a sad element to it, there is a conspiracy theory element that people who have been sucked in by." 

Asked whether he would like police to take firmer action, he said: "I am on the record as the MP here as having urged the police to take action. They have taken action, but the exact way they do that is their decision." 

Sodden Parliament protesters buffeted by Cyclone Dovi's gales and rain 

Parliament's front lawn had already turned into a swamp yesterday as protesters flooding from across the country were greeted with rain. 

Former National MP Matt King was one of them, giving a rousing speech while also announcing he'd officially resigned from the party. 

Protesters braving wet conditions during the anti-vax, anti-mandate and anti-Government protest and occupation at Parliament in Wellington. 13 February, 2022. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

Protesters in the rain on Sunday morning. Photo / George Heard 

Protesters braving wet conditions during the anti-vax, anti-mandate and anti-Government protest and occupation at Parliament in Wellington. 13 February, 2022. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

"I would have had to preach their position ... I didn't want to do that," he told the Herald, saying he'd joined the protest to be among "real people" while urging them to remain peaceful and non-violent. 

Anti-mandate protesters at Parliament in Wellington. Photo / George Heard 

On Saturday, the collective of vastly different causes had looked increasingly settled in for their illegal occupation with well-stocked kitchens, a medical centre and even makeshift daycare set up. 

Despite their growing presence police showed no signs of moving them on, with no arrests on Saturday and no attempts made to move hundreds of vehicles illegally blocking surrounding streets. 

A person is carried out on a stretcher from the protest at Parliament. Photo / George Heard 

By Saturday evening protester numbers had swelled to several thousand, with hundreds of tents and gazebos remaining across the lawn - in defiance of Parliament rules and trespass notices issued earlier in the week. 

They were in for a turbid night though, with MetService forecasting heavy rain. 

After a violent Thursday that saw 122 people arrested, there were no arrests on Saturday, and just one on Friday evening for breach of bail, as police kept their distance and the crown remained relatively peaceful. 

Protesters on motorbikes performed burnouts on the blocked-off streets surrounding Parliament. Photo / George Heard 

One person was carried out by police on a stretcher and taken to Wellington Hospital in a moderate condition by ambulance. 

This came after another protester on Friday evening fell ill, with their ambulance treatment severely hindered due to vehicles blocking streets around Parliament. 

Saturday morning saw the return of protesters and key organisers from the group Freedom and Rights Coalition, backed by Brian Tamaki's Destiny Church, who had left earlier in the week after a splintering with more extremist groups present, including those on the far-right. 

A protester points his umbrella at police in a gun-like fashion while a haka is performed during the anti-vax, anti-mandate and anti-Government protest. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

A vast array of speakers took to the podium, including from the Freedom and Rights Coalition, many of whom arrived on motorcycles, Voices for Freedom and Ted Johnston, co-leader of the New Conservative political party. 

Speeches included a mixture of anti-mandate, anti-vaccine, conspiracy theory and anti-authority rhetoric, amid singalongs that had many dancing in the rain. 

The crowd included young and old and from all corners of the country. Those spoken to by the Herald urged the line the protest was about vaccine mandates, and sought to distance the majority from the presence of far-right and white supremacist groups. 

There have been no moves yet to shift hundreds of vehicles blocking streets and footpaths around Parliament, all continuing to frustrate Wellington city residents and businesses with a large chunk of the CBD shut off. 

Young and old have been present throughout the protests at Parliament. Photo / George Heard 

A police spokeswoman told the Herald they still had not figured out how to do so, after reports tow-truck drivers were too intimidated to do the work themselves. 

The Herald understands the Army is being looked into as an option. 

There have also been increasing reports of intimidating and anti-social behaviour, with stores across the CBD bolstering security and changing opening hours. 

The Thorndon Farmers' Market was called off on Saturday morning and New World Thorndon also altered its hours due to safety concerns. 

Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus said it was concerning to see the protesters become more entrenched, and threatening behaviour spread across the central city. 

It was a sodden day at Parliament but protest numbers still continued to swell. Photo / George Heard 

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson earlier condemned protesters at Parliament, saying they are driven by "wild, false, dangerous conspiracy theories". 

Robertson, who has protested on the steps of Parliament himself, says he supports the right to protest – but those outside Parliament have lost that right due to their actions. 

"When they threaten, harass and disrupt people and a whole city they lose that right. They have been trespassed; they need to leave." 

Anti-mandate protesters at Parliament in Wellington. Photo / George Heard 

He added that threats of violence are unacceptable, and said he understands why police must move the protesters on. 

"Looking down on a protest that wants to hang me as a politician, a sign that compares the Prime Minister to the March 15th terrorist, calls for arrest and execution of me and other leaders you might understand why I believe the police need to move them on." 

Convoy protests in Ottawa, Canada – the genesis for these protests – have crippled the city for a fortnight and disrupted trade with the United States. Similar protests are also taking place in Canberra and inspiring other movements worldwide. 

The message from those assembled in Wellington on Saturday was clear: they are not going anywhere any time soon, and once the storm had passed the next move was on the police, and perhaps the Speaker.