Words: Kyle Cassidy
Published 27 May 2026
Police say they will be keeping a close watch on a planned motorcycle protest set to disrupt traffic on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge this weekend.
The demonstration, organised by Motorcycle Advocacy Group New Zealand, is aimed at protesting upcoming increases to ACC levies for large-capacity motorcycles.
Under the revised levy structure, registration costs for bigger motorcycles are set to rise from around $540 in 2025 to approximately $816 in July this year, before increasing again to about $960 in 2027.
The protest ride is scheduled to begin at 12.30pm on Saturday, starting from Onepoto Domain on Auckland’s North Shore before riders head across the Auckland Harbour Bridge and back in a continuous loop.
Organisers say riders intend to occupy the two left motorway lanes while travelling at speeds of no more than 40km/h, significantly slower than the bridge’s normal 80km/h traffic flow.
New Zealand Police confirmed they are aware of the planned event and have been in discussions with organisers ahead of the protest.
it’s been reported that MAGNZ spokesman Richard Tohu said the group’s objective is to raise awareness around what it considers unfair increases to motorcycle-related ACC charges.
“We have had a few discussions with the police regarding safety because we want this to go off in a safe manner,” Tohu was reported as saying.
“It’s a lawful protest. We’re not setting out to cause major disruption to traffic, upset the public, that’s not our objective.
“We just want to be visible. We need to show the public that there’s an issue that ACC and the Government are ignoring.”
The levy increases have been defended by ACC, which says motorcycle crashes continue to account for a disproportionate share of road injury costs.
ACC deputy chief executive corporate and finance Stewart McRobie said levy rates are reviewed every three years in consultation with stakeholders before being approved by Cabinet.
“ACC forecasts the lifetime cost of motorcycle injuries at around $266 million per year in the current levy cycle,” McRobie told the NZ Herald.
“Motorcycles make up just 4% of New Zealand’s vehicle fleet, but motorcycle accidents represent 25% of the cost to ACC of all injuries from road crashes.
“ACC claims and cost data shows that, while the likelihood of a crash is relatively similar across motorcycle types, the cost and severity of injuries increase significantly with engine size.”
McRobie added that motorcycles remain the only vehicle category not covering the full cost of associated injury claims through levies.
However, MAGNZ disputes the methodology used to calculate the increases and says it is preparing legal action.
Tohu claims the current levy structure unfairly groups motorcycles into arbitrary engine-capacity categories while overlooking more relevant performance metrics.
