Pollies: MPs Mark Mitchell and Megan Woods clash over Northland lockdown, Rotorua emergency housing

National is calling on the Government to apologise over the 11-day Covid lockdown last October.

The Government blamed the lockdown on the two women using false travel documents to cross the Northland border and there had been suggestions the women were doing sex work for the gang scene.

But documents obtained by our newsroom reveal the women weren't sex workers, had no gang links, and had correct documentation which officials had issued in error.

National Whangaparāoa MP Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking what's happened is outrageous.

“They went up there quite legally, they were allowed to go up there.”

The Housing Minister says the Government is working hard to solve issues with Rotorua's emergency motel system.

Clients in the system have accused housing charity Visions of a Helping Hand of intimidation and abuse of power, and there are reports of violence and poor conditions within the motels.

Megan Woods says Rotorua has been rapidly growing and putting people in motels, is better than leaving people on the street.

She told Mike Hosking they haven't been lazy in trying to provide an alternative.

“We have been on a massive building programme for having state houses there, we have delivered 209, there’s another 300-odd under construction at the moment.”

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