Man denies Covid breach by travelling to Qtown

A man accused of breaching Covid-19 restrictions by travelling from Auckland to Queenstown has been named as Jared Charles Shaw.

The 36-year-old, from the Ka¯piti Coast, pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act. He allegedly travelled to Queenstown via Wellington on October 8.

He entered his plea at the Queenstown District Court on Tuesday without an appearance in court. An earlier order for interim name suppression had lapsed, court staff confirmed on Wednesday.

Shaw is to reappear in court for a case review hearing on December 6.

He is the third person accused of breaking the Auckland lockdown to deny the charge in the Queenstown District Court.

Wa¯naka manager Laurie Jeffery Midwood, 41, was charged after leaving Auckland, a Covid-19 alert level 3 restricted area, on September 28. He denied breaching Covid restrictions when he appeared in the Queenstown court on Tuesday.

He was remanded in custody to

appear for a sentencing indication on January 10 in relation to the Covid breach and several other charges, which he also denied.

Queenstown developer Min Yang, 41, denied breaching lock down restrictions on September 2.

He was also due to appear in Queenstown District Court for case review on December 6.