Someone has taken matters into their own hands after Health Minister David Clark tried to shift the blame for the situation at the border to the Director-General of Health.
A person edited Dr Clark’s Wikipedia entry so, for a brief time this morning, it stated he was an “avid campaigner for throwing under the bus policy” as well as the Health Minister.
The edit has since been removed.
The edits come after Dr Clark was asked by reporters on Wednesday if he took responsibility for the failures at the border.
"The Director-General has accepted that protocols weren't being followed, he has accepted responsibility for that and has set about putting it right," Dr Clark said, as the senior public servant stood behind him.
He was repeatedly asked why he didn't take any responsibility, to which he replied: "The Director-General has already acknowledged that the system didn't deliver here."
Dr Bloomfield, who has largely been hailed for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in this country, later said he still had a good working relationship with Dr Clark.
Kiwis then took to Twitter to start #BloomsForBloomfield to raise funds to buy Dr Bloomfield flowers, intended as a kind gesture for his efforts.
Dr Bloomfield, instead, encouraged people to donate the funds to charity.
Yesterday, National Party leader Todd Muller labelled Dr Clark as “a non-essential worker” after he “humiliated” Dr Bloomfield.
Mr Muller also said the treatment of Dr Bloomfield was "a disgrace".
"He humiliated a man we have grown to respect and trust during lockdown."
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters defended both Dr Clark and Dr Bloomfield in the House on Wednesday for the situation at the border.
"There is no way a general can be responsible for the actions of a soldier in the field," he said, referring to their responsibilities over people at the front-line of the border.
There have been a litany of problems in managing the testing of New Zealanders returning to the country and spending time in managed isolation.
Some people have been granted compassionate leave without being tested, and a senior military officer has since been brought in to help sort the situation out.
Wikipedia has since limited edits to Dr Clark’s page to only users who are logged in and verified. The edit restriction is expected to lift on Monday.
Wikipedia also restricted edits on his page in April following revelations he twice breached Covid-19 lockdown restrictions to take his family to the beach and go mountain biking in Dunedin.
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