Flags are already waving and music playing at Parliament ahead of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arriving there later today.  

Hīkoi participants are gathering at Waitangi Park in Wellington City, from which they’ll move along the Golden Mile to Parliament, bringing widespread traffic disruption. 

Alistair Boyce, who runs the Backbencher pub across from Parliament, told Ryan Bridge that Police checkpoints were already in place when he arrived for work at around 5:30am. 

He says that the Hīkoi should be an economic boon for the city. 

What Mayor Tory Whanau needs to do, Boyce says, is stop thinking about attending the protest and instead think about catering for the protest – keeping businesses functioning and the streets open. 

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