Health Minister David Clark says he did not break lockdown rules for a third time by moving items between homes during alert level 4.
Health Minister David Clark. Photo: RNZ /Dom Thomas
Clark was reportedly seen repeatedly taking boxes between two properties during the lockdown.
Under the alert level 4 rules, people were not allowed to move into or out of their houses.
But in a statement, Clark said he moved homes before the lockdown began.
"I moved house, using the services of a moving company, on the Wednesday immediately before the level 4 lockdown began. My new house is just up the road from my old one.
"During lockdown I used my old house as my office and occasionally walked the odd item or box back with me, as is within the rules," the statement said.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said based on what the health minister had advised her he moved house prior to lockdown, and based on his description of events, had not breached the rules of lockdown.
Clark was demoted to the bottom ranking of Cabinet earlier this month, after he admitted breaking the lockdown rules by driving his family 20 kilometres to a beach in the first weekend of alert level 4.
This followed him being spotted driving to a mountain biking track to exercise.
At the time, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said under normal circumstances she would have sacked him.