Former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has given alleged details about the Northland case that has sent his region into a lockdown, claiming the woman was with Mongrel Mob life member Harry Tam.
The former Northland MP spoke to Three's Newshub Nation on Saturday morning after Northland was sent back into Alert Level 3 after an "uncooperative" positive case hadn't yet revealed their movements in the region.
When Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced Northland's Level 3 move on Friday evening, he gave little detail about the case or her movements as he said he didn't have that information.
However, Peters on Saturday claimed that was a lie while sharing alleged details himself.
"This person came here with a gang member assigned the essential worker status, falsified the reason why she was coming, engaged with people at a hotel in Whangārei, left there having been tested, and went to a marae up north which hid her from the public and the police and when the police got a warrant to arrest her, she had gone and probably is now in Auckland," Peters claimed.
"All this was known days and days ago and the shocking thing is, none of us were told that publically."
Police are working with health officials to identify further locations of interest.
Peters was then asked who the case was travelling with along with the names of the hotel and marae they stayed at.
While Peters wouldn't reveal the marae, saying that information should have come from Hipkins and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern "days ago", he claimed the gang member involved was Hawke's Bay-based Mongrel Mob life member Harry Tam.
"He got a permit to come up from the Hawke's Bay via Auckland and how he got up North, that is very difficult to understand in terms of the permit system but he brought with him this woman under false premises and the rest is a catastrophic history."
1News has since contacted Tam who has laughed off the allegations, saying it's the first he has heard of the rumours and denied any involvement.
Tam, speaking from Auckland, said he hasn't been to Northland and whoever came up with this story had "a pretty good imagination".
He added he's currently taking legal advice about the allegations made on Saturday morning.
In regards to the case in question, Peters added he knew what the woman was doing in Northland but once again refused to share details, reiterating it was up to Hipkins, Ardern and the police to tell the public.
When challenged how he knew so much about the case, Peters said he had sources informing him.
"I'm absolutely certain of my sources otherwise I wouldn't be saying what I'm saying - let them deny it and they won't," he said.
"But when the press was told yesterday at 6.30 by Minister Hipkins that he didn't know, that simply wasn't true and frankly we'll never get through this crisis unless we are transparent and honest with the New Zealand public."
Northland was moved up from Level 2 by the Government on Friday evening after Hipkins held a sudden press conference to address an unfolding situation with an "uncooperative" case who had been travelling "extensively" in the region after visiting from Auckland.
“Updated information provided by the police today shows the case moved extensively around Northland after travelling there on 2 October,” Hipkins said Friday evening.
“We recognise that it is unusual to put a region into Alert Level 3 when there are no further cases.
“However it’s vitally important that we get ahead of any potential spread, and set up widespread testing and continue contact tracing efforts.”
He added the move was also required because of low vaccination rates in Northland.
So far, just two locations of interest have been identified in Northland - two gas stations in the region - but Hipkins said Northlanders should keep checking the Ministry of Health's website for more updates.
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