Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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.
Premium
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Port of Tauranga worker at centre of Covid-19 hoax being investigated

Sandra Conchie
Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
26 Aug, 2020 10:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

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

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

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Worker at the Port of Tauranga is being investigated over a Covid-19 hoax. Photo / File

Worker at the Port of Tauranga is being investigated over a Covid-19 hoax. Photo / File

A male worker at the Port of Tauranga who claimed he tested positive for Covid-19 coronavirus has had his entry to the port suspended.

In a written statement Rochelle Lockley, the Port of Tauranga Limited's communications manager, confirmed the worker's claim was a hoax.

"On Friday night, Port of Tauranga was made aware that an employee of a port contractor claimed to have tested positive for Covid-19," Lockley said.

"The claim was quickly identified as a hoax and the worker's employer is now dealing with the situation. In the meantime, his (the worker) access to the port has been suspended."

Lockley said there had been no major disruption to operations at the port.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Bay of Plenty Times understands the hoax claim was made in a private message group where workers were sharing their Covid-19 results, and the worker posted a copy of his but altered the negative to a positive result.

The worker's claim was soon shared with other staff and supposedly led part of the port being closed down for a period.

Lockley declined to comment further about the matter.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Port of Tauranga chief executive Mark Cairns could not be contacted for comment.

All 720 Port of Tauranga's high priority workers tested for Covid-19 last week have returned negative results

Discover more

Retail

OfficeMax set to close down all stores

25 Aug 11:49 PM

Rotorua a stop on journey for cyclist raising HIV awareness

27 Aug 02:34 PM

Bay of Plenty District Health Board has confirmed all 720 high-priority workers tested at a dedicated testing facility at the Port last week have returned negative results.

The board's interim chief executive Simon Everitt said it was a pleasing outcome.

"We would like to thank everyone involved in the response - those who worked tirelessly to set up the testing facility at short notice, and the amazing job of those involved throughout the testing process, and the tremendous combined effort to coordinate those who needed to be tested. "

And importantly, a big thanks to the port workers for their co-operation, he said.

Everett said the district health board continued to work closely with the port and its associated companies as part of its Covid-19 response.

"We acknowledge and support the action taken by Port of Tauranga and the company the individual works for. As this is an employment matter we have no further comment."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Mechanical failures delayed school fire response, union says

09 Feb 06:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post
|Updated

"Not just a shed fire’: Blaze devastates Taupō-nui-a-Tia College

09 Feb 04:47 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

School to close for funeral of Mount Maunganui landslide hero after Education Ministry U-turn

09 Feb 01:07 AM

Sponsored

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

09 Feb 02:49 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Mechanical failures delayed school fire response, union says
Rotorua Daily Post

Mechanical failures delayed school fire response, union says

A back-up aerial unit took nearly two hours to reach the scene.

09 Feb 06:00 AM
"Not just a shed fire’: Blaze devastates Taupō-nui-a-Tia College
Rotorua Daily Post
|Updated

"Not just a shed fire’: Blaze devastates Taupō-nui-a-Tia College

09 Feb 04:47 AM
School to close for funeral of Mount Maunganui landslide hero after Education Ministry U-turn
Rotorua Daily Post

School to close for funeral of Mount Maunganui landslide hero after Education Ministry U-turn

09 Feb 01:07 AM


Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste
Sponsored

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

09 Feb 02:49 AM
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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP