Canterbury signwriter accused of making fake vaccine passes keeps name secret

The man has been charged and appeared at Christchurch District Court today. Photo / File

A Canterbury signwriter accused of making fake vaccine passes will keep his name secret for at least three weeks.

The man, 61, was scheduled to appear at Christchurch District Court this afternoon.

However, he was granted a registrar's remand without having to appear before a judge.

He will have to come back to court on February 22.

He's been given interim name suppression until his next appearance, a court registrar confirmed.

Police swooped on a printing and graphics business, which operates out of a shed at the rear of a property, last Wednesday.

A charging document laid at court alleges that between December 1, 2021 and January 22, 2022, he made a false My Vaccine Pass, "knowing it to be false and intending it to be used as genuine". The charges carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment.

He is also charged with making a vaccine pass on January 21 to gain a pecuniary advantage, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.

The man allegedly told a Stuff reporter, who was reportedly given a fake vaccine pass, that he was doing it so people could "see their loved ones".

A North Canterbury doctor was last month caught on camera issuing fake vaccine exemptions to patients.

Dr Jonie Girouard, who runs a weight-loss clinic in Kaiapoi, is an unvaccinated GP who was captured by Newshub issuing fake certificates and coaching patients on how to get away with using them.

The Ministry of Health confirmed this month it had issued a $300 infringement notice to Girouard after finding she had breached the Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccination) Order 2021 by seeing patients in person without being vaccinated and without a valid exemption.