The Occupy protests appear to have more or less fizzled out, leaving some asking if they could have had more impact.
While the group's anti-capitalism campaign has developed some momentum in parts of the world, notably the US and the UK, in New Zealand it has been seen as being largely ineffective.
Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer, surveying the damage in Aotea Square today, told ONE News: "They have not had a singular message, they have not had a singular solution and I think the whole thing has been a failure on their behalf."
Breakfast host Corin Dann suggested in an opinion piece yesterday that Kiwis had been simply "confused and annoyed" by Occupy. But he said the protesters still have a message, particularly around inequality, which many will identify with.
So is there anything the protesters here could have done to get their message across?
ONE News reporter Ruth Wynn-Williams posed that question on Twitter this morning and received a series of replies, some more serious than others.
@NZKiwi was among those who were critical of the protesters, saying: "Don't think any of them knew what they were protesting for!! It seemed to change from day to day!"
And @Inventory2 agreed, adding: "By knowing what they were actually protesting about, instead of just some nebulous gobbledigook!"
A deeper reason for the failure of Occupy's message to take hold was seen by @RealJoelRowan: "Their protests never meant much in New Zealand where we have a robust democracy, fairly progressive economy and a welfare net."
@POSKidsNZ thought the core message had been diluted by groups who had latched on to the protests. "I think the broad goals of the #occupy movement, to value democracy over corporate power, were overshadowed by "visitors"."
Among the less charitable suggestions for how they could become more effective were "with some intelligence" and "by showering".
Late this afternoon, Wynn-Williams received replies from @OccupyLocalGovt which suggested media bias in claiming the movement had been ineffective and pointed to "raising issues such as social inequality, global tax justice,and political transparency to the national media spotlight".
However, comments on the ONE News Facebook page have also been largely critical of the protesters.
Typical was Allan Scadden's suggestion that they "Occupy a job!"
However, there was support in some quarters, among them Ruka Rolleston, who said: "So sick of ignorant fools and their 'get a job' comments. A lot of these people have jobs. I can't wait for the day when these drongos realize that the reason those people are protesting is to bring equality for everyone."
Some are arguing that the movement has already changed the political debate in the US, the San Francisco Chronicle suggesting President Barack Obama's State of the Union address this week was influenced by it in his references to fairness.
But there is little indication yet that the New Zealand protesters have forced their way onto the mainstream political agenda here.
Can the movement bounce back and influence debate in NZ? Have your say on our Facebook page - facebook.com/ONENewsNZ
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