ACC protest. Pic: NZPA

By Paloma Migone for NZPA

Wellington, Nov 17 NZPA - Thousands of motorcyclists swamped Parliament grounds today to protest against the Government's plans to raise ACC levies.

An estimated 5000 bikes made it to Parliament, carrying riders with posters and flyers and were ready to take a stand.

"We've come to say with one voice `no'," said rider Brent Hutchison from Hutt Valley suburb Wainuiomata. "We are not going to roll over and let you do this to us. We are fighting back. "

With the changes, riders would have to pay $257.58, a raise from $58.97, to register a moped.

All motorcycle registrations currently cost $252.69. But from 2010/11 bikes from 125cc to 600cc would go up to $511.43, while those over 600cc will be $745.77. The new scheme is proposed in a bill that would also cut back some ACC entitlements as the Government looks to bring under control what it claims are large deficits.

"I'm more than a little angry," biker and first speaker Kari Lloyd said. "I can see I'm not actually alone in this.

"We love our bikes. One thing that we don't like is being singled out for special treatment, that is ... unfair."

"Who's next? Cyclists? Skiers? Snowboarders?" she asked.

Ms Lloyd was one of 12 delegates who met ACC Minister Nick Smith during the protest.

Labour leader Phil Goff, himself a biker, also spoke at the protest, saying the message to Government was very clear: "That the statistics that they are basing this $500 increase on are crap -- they are absolutely crap."

" Who's next on that list. Is it the elderly people? People like my dad who is 88 and falls over a lot. Are they going to put big levies on people for getting old because they have more accidents?

"Are they going to put levies on kids playing sports at school because they are more likely to have an accident than if they stay at home as a coach potato?

"Those things are absurd, but it's equally absurd that they are picking on us as bikers."

Mr Goff said he owned both a farm and road bike, of which the farm bike was more dangerous.

"But I pay no levies on it, it's off road. But I do pay levies on the road bike that I've got less chance of having an accident on.

"So the system is not consistent and it's not fair."

Later Dr Smith spoke to the noisy protest to try to explain the problems with ACC, but he was shouted down with a chant of "bulls..t".

Mr Hutchison told the crowd that the meeting with Dr Smith had not gone well and the minister was not listening to their demands.

He thanked those who came for conducting a peaceful protest, but warned the next time they gathered it might not be the same and the bikers could bring Wellington to a grinding halt.

"The war has just begun," Mr Hutchison said.

Prime Minister John Key said earlier the hikes were recommendations by the ACC and not necessarily the ones that the Government would adopt.

"I think if anybody faces a large increase, they are unhappy. And we acknowledge that.

"It would be the preference of the Government not to be putting up levies for ACC for anyone, whether it's motorcyclists, motor vehicle drivers or through their work payroll, but we face the inheritance from Labour of a system that is badly broken and needs to be fixed."