New Zealand witnessed one of its ugliest days as the anti-mandate Parliament occupation came to a violent end, but a year on, there are concerns that the lessons from the protest haven't been learnt.
The three-week anti-mandate occupation had descended into a toxic mix of misinformation and hostility. Twelve months later, Parliament's lawn has been resown but calls for a review of the roots of what happened persist.
Former Wellington mayor Andy Foster saw the damage sown around his city first-hand.
"I'm not actually sure we've learned the lessons because we haven't asked the questions," he told 1News. "It would be good to have a real clear, thoughtful reflection on what happened and why it happened."
Today, some protesters returned to Parliament with tensions remaining palpable.
Pepe Becker, a music teacher who opposed the mandates and participated in last year's protest, said there needed to be healing.
"I call it devastation day when the police and special operations people were brought in."
The Prime Minister said she was deeply saddened to see Parliament “desecrated” by the violence. (Source: 1News)
But around the occupation site, the three-week protest had devastating consequences for local businesses. Campbell Means had to close his cafe down amid the protests and only survived thanks to a council grant.
"It would be honest to say if we hadn't got that, we probably wouldn't be sitting here today," he said.
Local resident Rae Julian was one of those who felt alarmed when she saw fire shooting up through trees during the final day of the protest.
"Frightened, not frightened for myself, but for the people who were still there," she said.
"The misguided people who were not necessarily violent themselves but had got caught up in it and the children. There were still children there."
Jacinda Ardern said the violent scenes at the Parliament protest came as a shock, but the nation would not be defined by it. (Source: 1News)
During the protests, Government Minister Michael Wood's infamous line that a "river of filth" was beneath some parts of the occupation took hold in the discourse around it.
"One of the images that stuck in my mind is police officers huddled against a wall protecting themselves and people from that occupation, with bricks and blocks saying 'aim for legs! aim for legs!’," he told 1News.
Police Association President Chris Cahill said he had hoped there were lessons learned about how much training and equipment officers needed.
There were ugly scenes on the streets outside Parliament, with people throwing bricks at police. (Source: 1News)
At the time, Wood empathised with many of the protesters who he described as "people who I think we all feel for" that had been "scared" or "manipulated".
"There are some people who have been hurt over the past couple of years and they're lashing out. We feel for those people," he said last February.
This rare day of public violence tested New Zealand's social cohesion, and although mandates are now gone, many are suggesting that other fault lines are emerging.
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