A group of clergy members outside the Finance Minister's office in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Six priests calling for sanctions against Israel are preparing to settle in for the night, chained to each other outside Finance Minister Nicola Willis' office in Wellington.
In addition to sanctions, the protesters want the government to formally recognise Palestinian statehood.
Anglican priest Christopher Kirby said they were fasting, and despite the cold, were resolved to remain overnight.
"We've got a few blankets and a few mattresses.
"It's a small price to pay to be honest compared to what we know what is happening, right now, in Gaza where people are literally sleeping on the streets and struggling to find a home anywhere."
He said a small group gathered with them and locals and passers-by had been offering support.
Kirby said they had not spoken to Willis.
It was still unclear if New Zealand will join a host of other nations in formally recognising the state of Palestine.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has said the government's position would be revealed at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
The government sanctioned Israel's Finance and National Security Ministers in June, banning them from travelling to New Zealand.
"We feel that love demands action and at the moment Israel are not listening to the global cries for them to ceasefire and to deliver aid immediately into Gaza," Clergy spokesperson, Anglican church archdeacan Mel McKenzie told RNZ.
McKenzie said the group also wanted to know the timeframe for when sanctions on Israel could be put in place by the New Zealand government.
She said the group supported recognition of a Palestinian state, but that globally people were calling for a ceasefire from Israel.
The group supported a protest in Auckland over the weekend.
Priests protesting chained themselves to the office. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The chains around each others arms symbolised that the group was not leaving and was in solidarity with people in Gaza, McKenzie said.
"We want our leaders to show moral courage and to stand with those who are absolutely bound at the moment in suffering."
She said the group would pray and fast through to Tuesday.
Police said the group "was prevented access to an electorate office in central Wellington, no one was trespassed or arrested".
National MP Simeon Brown's electorate office in east Auckland. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
In Auckland five members of a group of clergy members doing a similar protest at National MP Simeon Brown's electorate office in Auckland were served trespass notices.
The group have left the building without incident, police said.
Officers also stopped a small group of people from accessing a different electorate office in central Wellington.
They said nobody was trespassed or arrested.
A separate group of church leaders, the Coalition of Ministers Supporting Israel in New Zealand, said in a statement it distanced itself from the groups that protested.
"This is a mis-guided and naïve call from those who may have compassionate hearts but lack the wisdom of mind to understand the complexities of the conflict thousands of miles away."
The group said it had 130 members that believed the New Zealand government should not recognise a Palestinian state at the moment.
It said first hostages needed to be released from Hamas, Hamas needed to be removed from governance, negotiations needed to take place between Israel and "more honourable Palestinian leaders" and that international criteria for statehood were met.
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