Auckland lawyer under investigation after attending Hawke's Bay races

October 3, 2021

An Auckland lawyer is being investigated by both police and the Racing Integrity Unit after attending races in Hawke's Bay over the weekend.

The woman, who is well known within racing circles in New Zealand, attended the Windsor Park Plate in Hawke's Bay on Saturday.

Racing Integrity Board chief executive Mike Clement said in a statement the woman was spoken to at the track by the Racing Integrity Board - then she left.

He understands the woman in question had been issued an exemption to leave Auckland for reasons unrelated to racing in late September, but is seeking confirmation of this with the Ministry of Health.

"Ministry of Health Protocols do allow people to travel within Alert Level 2 parts of NZ, however the Thoroughbred Racing Protocol limits track access to people registered for entry on the day of racing," Clement says.

"After being spoken to by an RIB Investigator, the person left the track and returned home.

"The person concerned is normally an Auckland resident but had a travel exemption to leave Auckland and live in an Alert Level 2 location. That exemption was issued in late September for reasons unrelated to racing."

Police said they are following up with the person involved to determine whether a breach of the Health Act has occurred.

The person is not responding to requests for comment from 1News.

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