I also want to acknowledge the women and men of the New Zealand Police, who have protected this building and the surrounding community, and who, as we speak, are engaged in a difficult and somewhat dangerous operation outside. As I've stated on a number of occasions over the last few weeks, the operational independence of the New Zealand Police is a vital part of our democratic society. Politicians cannot and should not be able to direct the police—it is vital that we uphold this. There are countries around the world where that happens, and we do not want to be one of those. That, of course, does not mean that as a local MP I agree or understand every decision that the police have made. I've raised concerns every time I have spoken to the police about the impact on Wellingtonians, but I want to acknowledge that the police's job here is a tough one, and there is no easy decision in situations like this. No one likes to see the scenes that are taking place outside today, but the police have taken those actions after weeks of illegal and hurtful behaviour.