A judge's son who flouted lockdown rules by travelling to Wānaka during Auckland's alert level 4 lockdown has been convicted and fined, while his partner avoided a mark against her name.
William Willis is a professional equestrian. Photo: Getty Images
William Willis, a 35-year-old equestrian from Karaka, and his partner Hannah Rawnsley, a 26-year-old barrister from Pukekohe, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the Covid-19 health order.
The charges carry a punishment of up to six months' imprisonment or a $4000 fine.
Today in the Papakura District Court, Judge Bruce Davidson convicted Willis and ordered him to pay $750 and cover court costs, while Rawnsley's request to be discharged without conviction was granted.
She was ordered to donate $500 to a recognised charity that ideally worked with vulnerable communities within 14 days.
Rawnsley's wellbeing was taken into consideration in the decision.
Today, police prosecutor Natalie Walker ran through the matter's summary of facts.
The court heard how the couple had packed their bags, booked flights, and travelled from Auckland to Waikato using essential worker exemptions under the pretence of delivering hay to a property near Hamilton on Thursday, 9 September.
From there, they caught a ride to the airport and flew to Queenstown via Wellington using flights in their names.
Once they landed in Queenstown, Willis hired a rental car using a fake address and they drove to his family holiday home in Wānaka.
The pair got a Covid-19 test before leaving Auckland, but their negative results did not return until they were in the South Island.
On Friday 10 September, they spent the day in Wānaka and Willis booked a skiing trip for Saturday.
However, that day police received a notification of their unlawful presence in Wanaka. Officers were sent to Willis' Karaka property and found nobody home.
Wānaka police were alerted to the couple's whereabouts and visited the holiday home on that Saturday. Willis cancelled his skiing trip and returned to the house, where he described the trip to police as spontaneous after he dropped off some hay and a friend told them the snow was good for skiing at that time.
Upon learning police had visited his Karaka property, he texted a friend saying someone had "narked" on him.
The pair booked flights and returned to Auckland on Sunday.
The couple's lawyer, Rachael Reed QC, said the couple would regret the trip for the rest of their lives and had shown they were standing accountable by pleading guilty.
"They have felt the wrath of the public and they understand they have bought it on themselves," she said.
However, Reed said the online abuse and vitriol Rawnsley and her employer in particular had suffered was "simply disgusting".
She argued Rawnsley should be discharged without conviction to ensure her legal career prospects were not completely ruined.
Judge Davidson said the couple both had clean records and were remorseful.
He deemed a conviction would be "an unfair mark against" Rawnsley, with Willis as the leader in the offending.