The scene in Cranmer Square during the early days of the occupation. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
The Christchurch City Council's handling of anti-government mandate protests "could have been better", a report has found.
An independent review was commissioned into how the city council responded to marches and illegal occupations in the Garden City, between November 2021 and April 2022.
Consultant Chris Hawker's report was completed on 26 October, although it was only made public this week.
Street marches and gatherings took place in Christchurch for a six-month period, with month-long occupations taking place at Cranmer Square in the central city and the residential red zone.
There was a two-day occupation at Latimer Square in April.
Several groups voiced their opposition on a range of issues, predominantly the Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
The review found the council's response was "understandable and for the most part appropriate".
But the executive summary added the council's response could have been better when presented with "particular challenges".
A formal response was not introduced by the council until the Cranmer Square occupation in February when it established an incident management team (IMT) and the square was identified as an area of improvement.
"This was not as successful as it could have been," the report said.
The Cranmer Square occupation. Photo: RNZ / Niva Chittock
The "problematic" matter of invoicing Destiny Church for the costs of traffic management was noted.
A $50,000 bill for costs incurred during the protests was waived after then mayor Lianne Dalziel met with Destiny Church pastor Derek Tait.
Dalziel's decision to meet with Tait was described as a move "against her better judgement" in the report, amid a disconnect between council leadership and its elected members.
Council's time to respond was also called into question after residents, in the eastern suburbs, noticed an influx of people before advising the Burwood East Residents Association and the Coastal-Burwood Community Board.
"It took a further week before the community received any direct response from the council."
But Hawker said many aspects of the response operated well.
"The partnership with police developed and strengthened during the course of events and the greater understanding and relationships built will provide significant benefits in future."
One of the challenges council staff faced was the police operational commander changed frequently which meant consistent understanding of plans had to rely on the police's intelligence unit.
"This did not always result in consistent reactions and response decisions to events."
Communication also improved following "a slow start".
Some residents interviewed for the report expressed concerns around the council's communication from the outset of activities.
The report said there was an impact on businesses in the central city, however mitigating this impact against "legitimate protest" was not simple.
Throughout the Cranmer Square protest, occupiers made commitments to police and council staff to minimise disruption to residents, which "was largely achieved ".
