About 400 people marched through Invercargill on Saturday to protest the Government's proposal to sell shares of state-owned assets.

Green Party spokesman for Invercargill Dave Kennedy said the march was a success, although they had hoped for bigger numbers. The weather probably contributed to the turnout, he said.

Between 300 and 400 people marched from Otepuni Gardens to Wachner Place, with songs and speeches held at the end.

Those against the sale of assets also had the opportunity to sign a petition for a citizens-initiated referendum, which would be available for people to sign during the next few weeks, Mr Kennedy said.

Nationwide organisers are hoping for 350,000 signatures on the petition. Mr Kennedy said they were yet to tally signatures for the weekend, but hoped they had about 300.

The interesting thing about the march was that it wasn't organised by just one group, he said.

The CTU, Grey Power, Labour and the Greens were all working together in support of this one issue, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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