Heart of the Protest: Inside the Parliament Protest and the Making of the Movie River of FreedomHeart of the Protest: Inside the Parliament Protest and the Making of the Movie River of Freedom

"Heart of the Protest is the story of the nationwide Convoy 2022 NZ and the resulting protest and occupation of Parliament grounds in February and March that year.When the Government enforced mandatory COVID vaccinations on almost the entire workforce, New Zealanders rose up. Kiwis from all walks of lifeteachers, students, medical professionals, tradespeople, musicians, pilots, farmers, ex-police, business owners and employeesarrived at Parliament expecting to be heard. Instead, they were ridiculed by media and collectively ignored by all 120 members of the House.This book expands on the stories of the people represented in the film River of Freedom (2023) who share memories of harm and division, and reflect on the failure of democracy and constitutional sovereignty in their country.Scores of voices from interviews during and following the protest have been woven together with politician and media comments from the time, to provide a comprehensive account that will elucidate the motives behind the thousands of Kiwis who streamed into Parliament grounds on 8 February 2022. Already ostracised from society--they had nothing to lose in their quest for restoration of their rights and freedoms.Heart of the Protest also hears from the filmmakershow they came together on Parliament lawn to ensure a visual cinematic record was produced and distributed. Relying on crowdfunding and emerging media platforms, they released River of Freedom independently into cinemas across the country in September 2023. By the third week the film was #1 at the New Zealand box office."