Photo: Supplied / Tāmaki For Palestine
Red paint has been thrown on the office of Defence Minister Judith Collins in a protest.
Protest group Tāmaki for Palestine has claimed responsibility, saying it was in response to the government's decision to sent troops to the Middle East over ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels on shipping vessells.
In a press release, the group said the decision made New Zealand "complicit" in the US and UK-led "aggression" against people of Yemen, given the request for help came from the US.
"Tāmaki for Palestine say the New Zealand government's decision to send military personnel once again into the Middle East, potentially drawing New Zealand into a wider regional conflict, without parliamentary debate or any public mandate is anti-democratic."
A spokesperson for Collins' office said the matter would be referred to police.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed the plan at the first Cabinet meeting for the year.
The deployment, which could run until the end of July, will support the military efforts led by the United States to protect commercial and merchant vessels.
No personnel would be entering Yemen.
The Houthis attacks are disrupting supply lines, and forcing ships to voyage thousands of kilometres further around Africa. The rebels, who support Hamas, say they are only targeting vessels with connections to Israel following the start of the war in Gaza. However, some of the ships they have hit have had no clear connection to Israel.
Opposition parties have condemned the government's plan, saying it had "shades of Iraq".
