Watch the true story of the Wellington protests that the New Zealand Government tried to ignore and the media attempted to suppress.
In 2020-22, the New Zealand government enacted emergency laws, mandates and a medical passport system that caused thousands of New Zealanders to lose jobs, businesses, homes and health. Furthermore, those people were locked out of New Zealand society, unable to go to funerals or weddings, participate in sport, visit loved ones in rest homes or even to visit cafes and hairdressers.
But when New Zealanders who had suffered under the measures stood up to exercise their democratic rights of protest and freedom of expression, instead of trying to calm the tensions, the government ignored and demonised those who protested as a “river of filth”. And the media censored them and labelled them as white-supremacists and far-right extremists.
In the end, the divide became so large that the biggest protest movement in New Zealand’s history became inevitable, leading to the Freedom Convoy and Freedom Village occupation on the lawns and streets around parliament in February 2022. And as it happened, award-winning documentary filmmaker, Alistair Harding followed along, living amongst the protesters, filming the events and recording the stories of the people who participated.
The result is We Came Here for Freedom – a documentary film in two parts giving voice to the thousands of New Zealanders who were ignored and mis-represented by their own government and media.
We Came Here For Freedom is the story of the Wellington occupation from within. It is a story that most New Zealanders have simply not heard because both the New Zealand government and media refuse to acknowledge the stories of their own citizens.
We do not expect every New Zealander to agree with this film, but we do expect that every New Zealander should be given a voice, by right.