Phreedum Takimoana made a break for the border during last September's lockdown in Auckland, driving through a paddock to avoid the checkpoint as he drove south.
Takimoana's escape from Auckland eventually got him arrested and charged with breaching a Covid rule. He was sentenced in the Nelson District Court today to 80 hours' community work, having recently moved to the region to be nearer his mother.
After sentencing, which included a reprimand from Judge Richard Russell, Takimoana, 22, gave a thumbs up signal as he left the courtroom and asked police security if he was "all good to go".
Police prosecution said on the evening of September 30, when Auckland was in Covid level 3 lockdown and the rest of the country at alert level 2, Takimoana was driving south when he spotted a checkpoint ahead.