Avoid city centre Auckland council workers told

6:54 pm on 2 February 2016

Auckland Council workers are being told avoid the city centre if they can during demonstrations against the TPP.

Barrier erected before  planned TPPA protests at SkyCity.

Barrier erected before planned TPPA protests at SkyCity. Photo: RNZ / Murielle Baker

Several protests and hikoi are expected to march up Queen Street and end at SkyCity, where the agreement is expected to be signed.

Auckland Council has advised staff that if they can work somewhere other than at their headquarters near SkyCity, then they should.

Police are being brought in from other districts to boost security before the official signing of the trade deal on Thursday.

An official briefing this afternoon gave scant fresh information about what was going to happen with arrangements for the signing at SkyCity.

No details were given on when the signing would take place.

Earlier a business near the venue for the signing was advised to close for the day because of threatened protests.

A barista at Tevita, opposite the Sky Tower, said SkyCity staff had advised them to close the cafe for the day of the protest and take furniture inside.

However he said they would stay open, as protests tended to be good for business.

"It does make a little bit of a distraction, you can hear them banging away and being a bit of a nuisance, but it doesn't affect us much."

Security guards working for SkyCity said plans were in place for the day, and police said that they were planning for every eventuality.

Auckland Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton said workshops for 21 councillors and support staff may be moved to Manukau to avoid disruption, but that decision had not been made yet.

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