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<\/p>\nPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern says there are consequences for people who break the transtasman bubble rules, even if they don’t end up being fined or jailed.<\/p>\n
A group of three people from Melbourne have been put into managed isolation in New Zealand after misleading officials about where they were travelling from.<\/p>\n
It is understood the trio, who are resident in Australia, planned to attend a funeral during their trip to this country.<\/p>\n
They drove to Sydney and then flew to Auckland, and were caught at the border after trying to deceive officials. They will now have to pay for their 14-day MIQ stay.<\/p>\n
It appears they broke the transtasman bubble rules – which could lead to a $4000 fine or six months in jail – as well as the Victoria lockdown rules.<\/p>\n
Melbourne is subject to a two-week lockdown as the city battles to contain a community Covid-19 cluster.<\/p>\n
Restrictions are in place for anyone from Victoria wanting to travel to other parts of Australia.<\/p>\n
Ardern said that their mandatory stay in MIQ was a punishment, regardless of whether police decided to charge them.<\/p>\n
“Ultimately they were stopped at the border, and they were put into managed isolation.<\/p>\n
“That demonstrates that even when we have people who are making a deliberate attempt to get through, that will be picked up.<\/p>\n
“There’s multiple points in the system where we can pick people up, and in this case, we have.”<\/p>\n
Asked why they shouldn’t be charged, she said “there are consequences”.<\/p>\n
“To anyone considering breaching the rules that we have in place – in this case, the family has been picked up, and they’ve been put into a managed isolation facility.<\/p>\n
“As for fines, those decisions do sit elsewhere.”<\/p>\n
Director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said relevant border agencies would review processes, even though it appeared this was the result of “disappointing actions” from the three people concerned.<\/p>\n
They have all tested negative for Covid-19, and their three-day test results are due tomorrow.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bloomfield said he hadn’t looked into whether the trio should face charges, but added that they may also face charges in Australia for breaking the Melbourne lockdown rules.<\/p>\n
It follows a breach of the transtasman bubble rules at the end of April, when a man flew from Perth to Auckland via Sydney while there was a pause on flights to New Zealand from Perth because of an outbreak there.<\/p>\n
The man appears to have lied about whether he had travelled from Perth.<\/p>\n
By the time his identity and travel were confirmed, he had landed at Auckland airport and eluded authorities. When health officials caught up with him, he was allowed to self-isolate in Northland.<\/p>\n
The man’s travel highlighted how easy it is to breach the rules in the transtasman bubble, which had only been running for a week at the time of his flight.<\/p>\n
Immigration NZ manager Peter Elms said that the time that it was a high-trust model.<\/p>\n
The multiple checks included questions being asked at the airport, and data-matching from border agencies to check if people had flown from an area where flights to New Zealand were paused.<\/p>\n
But people who drove to an area where flights to New Zealand continued could break the rules by lying about whether they’ve been in a locked-down area.<\/p>\n
“For somebody who’s intent on getting to their end destination, regardless of the rules, it’s a straightforward option they can take if they’re willing to lie,” Elms told the Herald in April.<\/p>\n
“Quarantine-free travel, certainly when it comes to pauses or suspension, it relies heavily on people’s honesty, people’s ability to understand and follow the rules in place.”<\/p>\n