New Zealand Health Minister demoted following lockdown breaking mountain bike ride and beach visit

New Zealand Health Minister David Clark has been demoted after ignoring the country’s lockdown rules on two occasions - once driving his family to a beach 20 kilometres from his home having previously travelled two kilometres from his home to go mountain biking.

Flouting the Government’s own advice to exercise safely and locally during the country-wide lockdown, Dr Clark was earlier this week photographed going for a mountain bike ride two kilometres away from his Dunedin home.

It was then revealed that he drove his family to the beach on the first weekend of the national stay-at-home measures.

Having provided New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with, what Dr Clark called, “a complete picture of my activity outside my home during alert level 4”, he reportedly offered his resignation for the breaches.

While his resignation was not accepted, Prime Minister Ardern did strip Dr Clark of his associate finance minister portfolio and demoted him to the bottom of the cabinet rankings.

In a statement, Dr Clark advised “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.

“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.”

Under level 4 lockdown, which the country has been under for nearly two weeks, New Zealanders cannot leave their homes except for essential supplies such as food or medicine, and should only exercise in their local area.

Minister Clark is not the only high-profile New Zealander to flout the rules. All Blacks first five Richie Mo’unga has apologised after he was filmed kicking and passing a rugby ball with other professional players at his local park.

Mo’unga said on social media “I want to start off by saying this was not an organised training. There were no communications beforehand saying that we should train in this park together. It was by coincidence that I rocked up and they were there training.”

However, Prime Minister and NZ Rugby both criticised the meet-up.

Mo’unga went on to say he intended to run around the park alone, but “instinct” made him pick up the rugby ball, adding “it’s something that I’ve learnt that even (though it was) my natural instincts, it’s something I need to be more careful of and I will be more careful of.”

Images: New Zealand's Heath Minister David Clark (top, Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0/Weirdgoingpro) and his vehicle, pictured while he was mountain biking by a member of the public (below).