Covid 19 coronavirus: National leader Simon Bridges calls for Health Minister's resignation after 'third strike'

National leader Simon Bridges is calling for the head of Health Minister David Clark, after it was revealed he continued to move boxes between his houses during alert level 4.

Bridges said that not only was this Clark's "third strike" but it was also unacceptable that during the biggest health crisis in New Zealand's history, the Health Minister has not been in Wellington.

Last night, Clark revealed that a moving company had helped him move house on the Wednesday before level 4 lockdown began.

"During lockdown, I used my old house as my office and occasionally walked the odd item or box back with me, as is within the rules," he said.

In a late-night statement, a spokesman for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said based on what Clark had advised her, and based on his description of events, he had not breached lockdown rules.

But Bridges said this was not good enough and Clark needed to resign as Health Minister.
"This is his third strike, and I think he should be gone," he told the AM Show.

Earlier this month, Clark was stripped of his Associate Finance portfolio and demoted to the bottom of the Cabinet ranking after he admitted he took his family on a 40km round trip to the beach during the lockdown.

This was after he came under pressure for going mountain biking on a trail during level 4.

Despite the Prime Minister voicing her disappointment and saying Clark would have been sacked as Health Minister if the country wasn't battling a pandemic, he kept the health job.

At the time, Bridges agreed with Ardern and said despite Clark's transgressions, it was not the right time to sack the Minister of Health.

This morning, he acknowledged this and said that at the time if Clark put another foot out of line, he should be "gone-burgers".

"If we stand back and look at this, the Prime Minister doesn't have confidence in him."

But Bridges said Clark's "bigger sin" was not being in Wellington during a health pandemic.

"As Health Minister, it beggars belief that he wasn't in Wellington dealing with the biggest health crisis that we have ever seen in our history."

Clark is back in the capital now – but was working from home in Dunedin during level 4.

Ardern has defended Clark's absence from Wellington during the lockdown, saying he was always contactable via phone or video link.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website