Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson has defended the Prime Minister for not sharing "sketchy details" of the managed isolation escapee at Thursday's 1pm Covid-19 briefing.
A man who tested positive for Covid-19 was charged after allegedly escaping a managed quarantine facility in the Auckland suburb of Ellerslie on Thursday.
CCTV footage shows he fled the facility after three attempts to leave his room.
The man used the fire escape to head towards the Novotel & Ibis Hotel's fence, hiding from a patrolling MIQ officer before jumping two fences at the facility just after 1am on Thursday.
He was taken into custody later Thursday.
The man was charged under the Health Order with failing to comply with order (Covid-19). He appeared in the Auckland District Court via a contactless video link on Thursday afternoon.
A judge has bailed him to return to a managed quarantine facility.
But Jacinda Ardern has since been called out by some online for not addressing the disappearance at her 1pm Covid-19 update.
"I understand she was given some sketchy details that there was an incident just before her 1pm press conference yesterday and it's really important to remember that at that point it was a live police operation," Robertson told Breakfast this morning.
"The police were actually in the process of going to get the person and so it wouldn't have been responsible to have started giving details at a point at which the Prime Minister only had the very broadest details and the police were still doing their job.
"As soon as that was completed it was publicly notified and we've been answering questions about it since then."
Robertson added that MIQ facilities were not prisons and were there to look after people sick with the virus.
It took 10 hours for the missing man to be reported to police, but Robertson said there was no "roll call first thing in the morning" for people in MIQ with Covid-19. He said people with the virus do get welfare checks throughout the day, though.
"We are relying on people to do the right thing here but we do have security arrangements in place," he said.
"I think our security system is good, but no security system is perfect."
The 23-year-old's mother has since apologised , adding that she was worried for his wellbeing.
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