Thousands of people in New Zealand are protesting against mandatory COVID vaccinations.

As mostly unmasked demonstrators gather against vaccine mandates, parliament doors are barred and police are out in force.

Thousands of people gathered in New Zealand's parliament to protest mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and government lockdowns, prompting the government to shore up security measures.

On Tuesday, all but two entrances to the Beehive, New Zealand's parliament building, were shut down, and police and security officials were deployed in unprecedented numbers, as mainly uncovered demonstrators marched peacefully through central Wellington and gathered outside parliament.

Many people were observed waving signs and placards that read "Freedom" and "Kiwis are not lab rats," as well as yelling slogans demanding that the government repeal forced vaccination and remove limitations.

"I will not be forced to take something I don't want in my body," a protester stated outside parliament.

"I'm requesting that [the government] return 2018 to us." It's as simple as that. "I'd like to reclaim my liberties."

This year, New Zealand has struggled to contain a highly contagious epidemic of the Delta variety, leading Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to shift from an extermination strategy based on lockdowns to a plan of living with the virus and increasing vaccinations.

Teachers and staff in the health and disability sectors would be have to be completely vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Ardern's announcement last month. She has stated that health-related limitations will be lifted once 90 percent of the eligible population has been immunize.

This is a greater bar than in many other countries, and it has sparked criticism from those who want more freedoms.