The man who set himself on fire
outside Parliament yesterday has died.
New Zealand Herald: Witnesses to yesterday's horrifying tragedy say they had seen the man earlier in the week outside the Court of Appeal with protest signs that suggested he was involved in a custody dispute.
He died in Wellington Hospital overnight.
The site outside Parliament has been blessed this morning.Witnesses say kitchen staff from the Backbencher pub sprinted with buckets of water and fire extinguishers to help douse the burning man yesterday afternoon.
Eli Chamberlain was walking through the Parliament grounds when he saw smoke coming from near the forecourt.
"I thought a protester had set off fireworks," he said.
"Then I realised it was something quite serious. I didn't see him on fire but I saw people running towards him."
The injured man was lying on the ground with up to 20 people surrounding him. Most were standing in shocked silence but several were pouring water over him, Chamberlain said.