A man accused of breaching lockdown rules by travelling to Wānaka is the son of a high-ranking legal professional.
The man, 35, and his 26-year-old partner used essential worker status to drive from Auckland to Hamilton and then fly south to his family's holiday home.
After being caught, they will now have a court date for breaching the Health Order after failing to return to their residence within the Alert Level 4 area after leaving for approved essential personal movement.
The Prime Minister didn’t want to comment further, saying it was now in the hands of police.
The couple indicated they would return to the Auckland address they usually reside at, after they were spoken to by police.
A neighbour in Wānaka told 1News that she saw a cop car on their street on Saturday
1News can reveal one of the man's parents is a high-ranking legal professional.
The revelation of the couple flouting lockdown rules comes 24 hours from the next alert level decision.
The couple is now represented by Rachael Reed QC.
She told 1News they are not commenting at this stage and are seeking name suppression today.
They are also seeking suppression of the position of the parent. A court date has not yet been set.
There has been widespread fury at the couple's alleged actions, with Queenstown Lake Mayor Jim Boult saying they were putting the health of other people at risk.
"People will always find a way to break the rules I guess, I'm disappointed it happened in our community, and I'm disappointed it's our folk on the receiving end of it. I hope there's some work Government can do to tighten up the system."
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