Frustration grows over “counterproductive” Restore Passenger Rail protestors blocking Wellington roads

Protestors block Wellington main roads. Photo / Scoop

Honking horns, irritated bus drivers and parents late for the school run, because of Restore Passenger Rail protestors blocking the roads in Wellington over the past few weeks.  

Restore Passenger Rail’s mission statement on its website is that it works towards “restoring passenger rail across the country with affordable, accessible rail options and make public transport free”, a message that many people could get behind. 

Restore Passenger Rail’s website said it resorted to blocking roads to “ensure people pay attention”. 

However, Victoria student Jack Landon disagreed with the organisation’s methods.   

Landon said, “I agree with the message, but I think the way they’re protesting is counterproductive, they’re inconveniencing people who probably also want what they want but by annoying them, they’re just going to hate them.” 

“Who doesn’t want the most efficient mode of transport to be accessible and to be accessible and affordable?” 

Landon went on to say, “If they do restore the passenger rail, the protestors shouldn’t be allowed on. The government should make a point that they had nothing to do with the decision.” 

On the other hand, Massey student Tui Lou Christie said the point of protest was to be problematic. 

“Creating inconvenience means getting noticed, both by the public and by the media. If protests are easy to ignore, they will be ignored.” 

Restore Passenger Rail states direct disruptive action is more effective than making submissions and signing petitions. 

“The long history of civil resistance has shown that change has come by people taking bold disruptive action that ensures people pay attention. Being liked is not a prerequisite to success,” said Restore Passenger Rail’s website. 

There had been instances where people started turning against organisations like Restore Passenger Rail when its protests started to cause harm.  

NZHerald reported a Wellington father who was on a bus being blocked by Restore Passenger Rail on his way to the hospital for his daughter’s chemotherapy appointment. 

The spokesman for the Ministry of Transport called the protests “unproductive” regarding a protest in April.  

The transport minister, Michael Wood, called them “deplorable” in October of 2022.  

Both statements imply that these protests are not encouraging the Ministry of Transport to Restore Passenger Rail.