Health Minister David Clark has announced his resignation this morning after several blunders during the Covid-19 pandemic landed him in hot water.
Speaking to media today, he said his position in the role was a distraction for the Government during the pandemic.
It comes after a string of issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, including his breaching of lockdown rules.
April 2:
Early in New Zealand's Level 4 lockdown, on April 2, Dr Clark was called out for driving over two kilometres to a mountain bike track after a member of the public took a photo of his van with his face plastered on the side.
The minister's visit to the mountain bike trail went against the Ministry of Health's guidelines - guidelines he as Minister of Health was pushing - during lockdown which urged Kiwis to only venture outside for essential trips such as supermarket shopping, going to the pharmacy or for essential travel.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern demoted the Dunedin North MP from his Associate Finance portfolio, saying under normal circumstances she would have sacked him.
April 7:
With the biking blunder somewhat behind him, Dr Clark confessed to taking a 20 kilometre drive to the beach with his family and driving his family to another walking track on a separate occasion.
Dr Clark said his wife questioned their beach trip but he made the call to go anyway. That was on the weekend after the lockdown took effect.
He appeared on TVNZ 1's Breakfast after releasing a statement about the additional breaches, telling host John Campbell he was a fool and embarrassed he of all people broke the rules.
April 28:
The Heath Minister defended a suspected third breach of lockdown when it was revealed he had moved houses in Alert Level 4.
Dr Clark was seen repeatedly moving boxes between the two properties during the Alert Level 4 lockdown. The properties are believed to only be a few hundred metres apart.
June 24:
Dr Clark came under fire again when he seemingly threw Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield under the bus - shifting responsibility to him over Covid-19 quarantine and managed isolation bungles.
Outside a select committee at Parliament, where both Dr Clark and Dr Bloomfield appeared, the politician was asked if he took responsibility for the failures.
"The Director-General has accepted that protocols weren't being followed, he has accepted responsibility for that and has set about putting it right," Dr Clark said, as the senior public servant stood behind him.
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