NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Covid 19 coronavirus: Major breach from managed isolation in Hamilton

Cherie Howie
By Cherie Howie
Reporter·NZ Herald·
24 Jul, 2020 05:58 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Five people accused of absconding from managed isolation in Hamilton last night wanted to attend a relative's funeral in Auckland.

Five people who escaped from managed isolation in Hamilton last night have been condemned by Megan Woods.

Woods, the minister in charge of managed isolation and quarantine facilities, said the absconders were putting New Zealanders at risk, calling them "incredibly irresponsible".

The group, an adult and four children who escaped from the Distinction Hotel, would face consequences, Woods said.

One of the group, a 17-year-old boy, was on the run during the night but was discovered early this morning after a police search, Air Commodore Darryn Webb said this morning.

The remainder of the group had already been located and returned to the hotel.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"A person was seen exiting over the facility fence at 7pm by the onsite police officer who immediately took action to locate and apprehend them. Four people were found and detained by 7.50pm and have been returned to the facility," Webb said last night.

All five people have returned negative results on their day three test results. The group that were returned to the Distinction Hotel were under police supervision.

A routine police patrol as part of security arrangements in place at all facilities meant apprehensions happened quickly, Woods said last night.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The speedy apprehension of four of the absconders highlights the importance of the police presence at our facilities. This is incredibly irresponsible behaviour by this group.

"Our only chance of stopping community transmission of Covid-19 is by containing all potential cases at the border, and we are doing this successfully through our managed isolation system.

"People absconding from facilities before they have completed their isolation and returned negative day 12 tests are endangering the health of other New Zealanders and our Covid free status in the community.

"Everyone has to play by the rules. These people knew the rules and chose to break them and will now face the consequences."

Discover more

Opinion

Steven Joyce: Show an open door to international students

24 Jul 05:00 PM
World

Helicopter, road spikes used to stop men after border checkpoint breach

24 Jul 04:58 AM
Opinion

Fran O'Sullivan: Never mind the election, there's a Covid-19 recovery to focus on

24 Jul 07:00 PM
World

Game-changing shift for Australia: PM's new virus strategy mirrors NZ's

24 Jul 08:19 AM

While the group had all tested negative on day 3 of their isolation period, there was no room for complacency, Woods said.

"Earlier this week, a person who had a negative test at day 3 later had a positive case at day 12. We will be re-testing this group and anyone they came into contact with.

"All returnees need to be considered at risk of carrying Covid. Internationally this pandemic is growing not slowing and we constantly review these cases to see if there are any further improvements we can make to ensure people are not breaking out."

Distinction Hamilton Hotel and Conference Centre is one of the government's 32 isolation facilities.

Earlier last night a texter told Newstalk ZB's Marcus Lush there was a "major police operation in Hamilton".

"5 youths have run from the same motel the guy who went to get booze in Hamilton. Eagle is also involved. Major breach," the texter wrote.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Lush tweeted about 8.20pm: "Destination (sic) motel. Breached one hour ago and police were there with in seconds. Dog units eagle and at lease dozen police are chasing. Te rapa area is almost completely locked down . [further intel] #breaking"

Chopper doing laps pic.twitter.com/FflKyfFVZ7

— Stu (@StuOld) July 24, 2020

About 9pm a person told the Herald helicopters had been "circling for 30 minutes plus in area East of Te Rapa Straight. Location of Distinction Hotel."

Another person told the Herald they live near the hotel and saw police with two people the person believed were escapees.

"I saw two police officers walking through Minogue Park down to the back of Waterworld and then they came back with two other people/escapees to Waterworld car park, and a police truck came and met them.

"Had been wondering what was going on as heard the eagle helicopter and saw police vehicles on Garnett Ave by Waterworld carpark."

There have been several breaches from managed isolation since the Government began requiring all returning citizens and residents to spend 14 days in isolation, to protect the country from Covid-19, which is still spreading rapidly overseas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The DIstinction Hotel was the scene of an earlier escape, when Queenstown man Martin James McVicar allegedly cut through fence ties and walked 10 minutes to buy beer and wine 10 days ago.

Instead of spending his last four nights at hotel, the 52-year-old found himself in a prison cell after his alleged outing to buy a four pack of Leffe Blonde and a bottle of red wine.

He faced charges of intentional damage of a 52-inch TV and intentionally failing to comply with an order under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 by leaving a managed isolation facility and purchasing alcohol, and will re-appear in court at a later date.

Others have also tried to leave isolation.

Suzanne Marie Derrett, 43, was charged after she was accused of scaling two fences to escape the Pullman Hotel in Auckland on July 4. She is due back in court on Monday.

On July 7 a man - who later tested positive for Covid-19 - slipped through a gap in fencing at Stamford Plaza Hotel in Auckland and went shopping at a central city Countdown supermarket.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He was expected to be charged and receive a summons to appear in court once he was cleared from quarantine.

And on July 10 a person in their 60s broke a window and escaped from Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre in Mt Wellington, Auckland, before knocking on residents' doors near the facility during the middle of the night.

The person was returned to the hotel by police and given health and welfare support.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Swaying sensation': Quake rattles southern NZ

07 Jul 05:31 PM
Premium
Editorial

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Letters to the Editor

Letters: Les Bleus deserved more respect

07 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Swaying sensation': Quake rattles southern NZ

'Swaying sensation': Quake rattles southern NZ

07 Jul 05:31 PM

The early morning shake off Southland was 12km deep, GeoNet says.

Premium
Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Letters: Les Bleus deserved more respect

Letters: Les Bleus deserved more respect

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Morning quiz: Feathers are primarily composed of which protein?

Morning quiz: Feathers are primarily composed of which protein?

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP