Crowds are expected to increase on Saturday as the protest outside Parliament enters its twelfth day.
About 800 protester vehicles are also clogging the streets of Wellington, up from 450 two days ago, police told 1News on Friday night.
READ MORE: Parliament protest extends closure of Victoria Uni campus
Meanwhile, Police Association president Chris Cahill says police could have moved in more quickly when the numbers were small to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
"It's hard to understand why they were allowed to establish such a big group and those sorts of semi-permanent structures," he told 1News.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said on Friday de-escalation is now the only safe way to resolve the ongoing occupation on Parliament grounds.
In response to accusations that police had abandoned Wellingtonians, Coster said they had to “manage” the situation.
“I understand that perspective. This issue has mobilised a lot of people, and police need to manage this in a way that does not contribute to an already-tense situation.”
Kiwi sailor Sir Russell Coutts also announced he will join anti-mandate protesters outside Parliament in Wellington next week.
READ MORE: Police backtrack on towing Parliament protesters’ vehicles
“It's the first time I've ever felt compelled to join a protest,” Coutts said in a Facebook post.
“I'm also strongly opposed to the ever-increasing erosion of our human rights and the growing limitations on our freedom of choice. I believe in having the freedom to be able to question so-called 'expert' opinion.”
Wellington's Victoria University said on Friday the protest led to its decision to extend the closure of its Pipitea campus to most students until April 11.
Students at the university launched a petition to have the protesters removed from campus.
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