Occupy Dunedin protesters have started a grass-growing operation in the Octagon.
Up to 100 occupants set up camp in the Octagon three weeks ago and their presence has killed off a large patch of lawn on the public space.
Spokesman Keiran Trass said grass seeds were sown on Saturday morning and the area had been roped off to protect it.
He predicted the grass would take about a month to grow.
"Hopefully, we're not still here in four weeks," Mr Trass said.
Asked if Occupy Dunedin protesters would be gone by then, Mr Trass conceded the campsite was a "major inconvenience to everyone".
"This is not a camping holiday. It snowed here at four o'clock this morning.
"Some people seem to think we're here for a holiday, but this is an occupation. It's a major inconvenience to everyone ... It's a peaceful way of expressing our views," Mr Trass said.
The Occupy movement is a peaceful protest taking place in public spaces around the world to oppose global corporate greed and economic inequality.
The Dunedin City Council wants to evict the Octagon protesters but is concerned about the cost and time involved with litigating the potentially precedent-setting matter through the courts.
