Thousands have marched in New Zealand's capital Wellington to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and lockdowns, as the country has reached the 90 per cent fully vaccinated milestone, Reuters reports.

Protesters, mostly unmasked, marched through the central business district of Wellington and gathered in front of the parliament building, known as the Beehive. Security was beefed up at the Beehive with entrances closed off and dozens of police deployed.

Some at the peaceful demonstration held placards with messages like "Freedom over fear", "lockdowns destroy lives" and "Kiwis are not lab rats". Others had signs with the "Make America Great Again" slogan of former US President Donald Trump.

The government said 90pc of New Zealand's eligible population, or about 3.8 million people, were fully vaccinated.