Protester numbers outside New Zealand's parliament have increased as police scaled back efforts to clear anti-vaccine demonstrators involved in violent clashes a day earlier.
A festive mood prevailed at a makeshift tent settlement inhabitants have dubbed "Camp Freedom", with music and dancing as police looked on from behind barricades.
It was a stark contrast to scenes yesterday, when police attempted to evict the protesters, arresting 122 people and using pepper spray to quell scuffles.
Wellington police described the hands-off tactics as a "measured approach", pointing to the presence of children among the crowd. "Police are continuing to monitor and contain protest activity at parliament grounds," Superintendent Corrie Parnell said in a statement. "Police have identified a range of different causes and motivations among the protestors, making it difficult to open clear and meaningful lines of communication." Activists have been camped on the lawns of parliament for four days in a protest that began on Tuesday as a copycat of a "Freedom Convoy" action by Canadian truckers in Ottawa.