Dr David Clark has held the health portfolio since Labour was elected in 2017 but has largely been viewed as an ineffectual minister who has struggled to make an impact during his term. During New Zealand’s lockdown, Clark was twice discovered breaching the strict stay-at-home rules; once by going mountain biking, and a second time when he took his family for a beach trip 23km from his Dunedin home. Ardern responded by demoting Clark in the cabinet rankings but held back from firing him, saying the government needed his expertise during the public health emergency. Ardern said Clark’s leadership as health minister had become a “distraction” from the wider fight against Covid-19. “David has come to the conclusion his presence in the role is creating an unhelpful distraction from the Government’s ongoing response to Covid-19 and wider health reforms,” Ardern said.

Source: The Guardian July 02, 2020 03:22 UTC