New Zealand’s health minister demoted for breaking lockdown rules

New Zealand’s health minister has been demoted for going contrary to the lockdown rules set by his own ministry.

Last week, the Health Minister, Dr David Clark was photographed going for a mountain bike ride 2km away from his Dunedin home with his family.

He apologised for the incident, saying it showed poor judgment at a time when all New Zealanders were being urged to stay home and only exercise in their local area.

“At a time when we are asking New Zealanders to make historic sacrifices I’ve let the team down. I’ve been an idiot and I understand why people will be angry with me,” Clark said in a statement.

“As the health minister, it’s my responsibility to not only follow the rules but set an example to other New Zealanders. I’ve apologised to the prime minister for my lack of judgement and offered her my resignation.

But New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Ms Jacinda Ardern has stripped him off his associate finance minister portfolio and demoted him to the bottom of the cabinet rankings.

“But right now, my priority is the collective fight against Covid-19. We cannot afford massive disruption in the health sector or to our response. For that reason, and that reason alone, Dr Clark will maintain his role.

“Under normal conditions, I would sack the minister of health. What he did was wrong, and there are no excuses,” Ardern stressed.

Ms Ardern argued that New Zealanders expected their ministers to uphold the rules that they themselves had set.

“I expect better, and so does New Zealand,” Ardern said.

“He does need to pay a price. He broke the rules,” she said to calm the already worried New Zealanders.

New Zealand’s Lockdown rules has said cars should only be used to purchase essential supplies such as food or medicine, and exercise should be taken in the local area only.

New Zealand has had over 1,100 confirmed cases, but only one death – a 70-year-old woman who died late last month.