Thousands of protesters in New Zealand and Australia joined the first of hundreds of women's marches around the world in a show of disapproval of US President Donald Trump as he began his first day in office.
The march aims to send a message to the US Government - and the world - that women's rights matter.
About 2000 people marched peacefully in four cities in New Zealand, Wellington's march organiser Bette Flagler told Reuters by phone. The Dunedin protest drew about 400 people, Fairfax reported.
In Sydney, Australia's biggest city, about 3000 people gathered for a rally in Hyde Park before marching on the US consulate downtown.
"Feminism is my Trump card" and "Fight like a girl," were among the placards held aloft by the protesters.
"We're not marching as an anti-Trump movement per se, we're marching to protest the hate speech, the hateful rhetoric, the misogyny, the bigotry, the xenophobia and we want to present a united voice with women around the globe," organiser Mindy Freiband told Reuters.
Some 673 "sister marches" are planned worldwide for Saturday, in addition to a protest in Washington DC, according to the organisers' website, which says more than two million marchers are expected.
