Hamilton shopkeepers have protested what they see as a failing government response to retail crime following the death of dairy worker Janak Patel last week.
Local retailers paid respects to Patel and his family - while venting anger at difficulties in getting support for fog cannons and other safety measures.
One sign read: "We need guns to protect ourselves."
When asked to do a show of hands for who's been targeted in aggravated robberies, most attendees put their hands up.
"These are near misses - one of these people could have died," an organiser said.
Among the retailers at the protest was a family whose business was burgled in September. A parent shopkeeper said their only son was confronted by a machete-wielding robber during the robbery.
MP for Hamilton East, Labour's Jamie Strange, was in attendance at the event.
"I'm here today to listen. To understand, to hear your ideas, to feed them back to the government," he said.
Meanwhile, protesters also questioned opposition leader Christopher Luxon - who was also present - about what a National government would do on retail crime.
Luxon said his party's policy would include making a new category of serious youth offenders.
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