private security. On 19 February, Te Kahika announced the dissolution of the NZ Public Party, which he had briefly renamed the Freedom Party, but vowed to continue his activist work via social media. In December 2021, Te Kahika criticised other groups and leaders opposing the Government's COVID-19 restrictions in a video livestream, alleging there was dissension within the movement. He claimed that Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki would use his The Freedoms & Rights Coalition (TFRC) to recruit people into his church. Te Kahika also criticised the anti-vaccination group Voices for Freedom and farmer advocacy organisation Groundswell NZ for allowing only approved messaging on protest signs. He criticised Groundswell for suppressing anti-vaccination messages at their marches. Tamaki disputed Te Kahika's claims there were dissension within the anti-lockdown movement and denied that he was trying to recruit people into his church. A Groundswell spokesperson emphasised that the organisation was focusing on advocating for farmers and rural New Zealanders and denied Te Kahika's claim that the group was aligned with the National Party. 2021 Anti-lockdown protest On 18 August 2021, Te Kahika led an anti-lockdown protest outside the TVNZ headquarters in the Auckland CBD that was attended by anti-lockdown activists and COVID-19 deniers. Arrested 43 minutes into his rally, he asked police to take him away as soon as possible to reduce the chance of his assorted supporters causing trouble. The following day, Te Kahika pleaded not guilty to two charges of violating the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 and one charge under the Search and Surveillance Act in relation to an anti-lockdown protest in Auckland held on 18 August. In September 2021, he was granted a variation in his bail conditions to allow him to continue his online sermons. In April 2022, Te Kahika and his co-accused Vinny Eastwood pleaded not guilty to breaching COVID-19 alert level 4 lockdown restrictions banning public gatherings. The defendants opted for a judge-only trial scheduled for 23 August 2022. On 23 August, Te Kahika and Eastwood's trial at the Auckland District Court began with Justice Peter Winter presiding. Police submitted social media videos of Te Kahika encouraging people to join the protest. Following a three day trial, Justice Winter convicted Te Kahika and Eastwood of violating COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on 16 December 2022. He also rejected their argument that their protest was protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. The pair