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 / World

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner's family flees home amid vaccine mandate anger

By Ben Graham
news.com.au·
19 Oct, 2021 11:26 PM4 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

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner received his AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine back in March. Photo /Facebook /Micheal Gunner

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner received his AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine back in March. Photo /Facebook /Micheal Gunner

The NT Chief Minister has been forced to take extreme action to protect his family as anger over his tough vaccination rules hits fever pitch.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner says his wife and son had to flee their home over the weekend as anger over his vaccination rules hits fever pitch in the Top End.

Demonstrators yelled out Gunner's home address and threatened to attack him at a rally held in Darwin on Saturday — after the leader introduced some of the world's toughest mandate laws last week.

Gunner told Sky News Australia he was extremely worried about his wife and son's safety.

"The priority was obviously people knew where we lived, it was at a rally it was on the internet, you had no idea who was watching and my clear instinct was obviously don't be at the house, the advice we received was don't be at the house and so Kristy and Hudson got out of the house," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's understood the NT police Territory Response Group was sent to patrol the house on Saturday night, but the Chief Minister would not comment on the security details.

"I think people understand for good reasons I can't provide details on what the security precautions are or have been to make people safe," he said.

"We don't want people knowing how we're making sure that myself and my family are safe but obviously precautions had to be taken because of the threats that were made and my address was given out - and not just given out, people were encouraged to go to my house."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Police say at least 1000 people were at Saturday's rally, while organisers believe up to 3000 people attended.

Anger spilled over after the NT Government announced mandatory Covid-19 vaccines for anyone working in contact with a vulnerable person.

The new rules that make it mandatory for many workers who interact with the public to have their first jab by November 12. Second doses will need to be complete by December 24, otherwise they face fines of up to $5000.

The move has attracted negative attention from around the world.

Discover more

Entertainment

Snoop Dogg announces NZ tour in 2022

19 Oct 07:00 PM
New Zealand

'Absolutely devastating my bro': Stan Walker pays tribute to Sean Wainui

19 Oct 07:03 PM
Motorsport

Mozzie RC launched in Australia

19 Oct 09:41 PM
Tourism

Meal ticket: National plan to give jabbed $100 to spend on hospo and tourism

19 Oct 08:20 PM

US Republican Senator Ted Cruz weighed in on Twitter, describing the policy as "Covid tyranny" and saying it was "depressing and sad".

Gunner responded to Mr Cruz, defending his approach to Covid, in a post that has gone viral.

"Hey Ted Cruz, g'day from the Northern Territory in Australia. Here are some facts. Nearly 70,000 Texans have tragically died from Covid. There have been zero deaths in the Territory. Did you know that?" he wrote.

G’day from Down Under @tedcruz. Thanks for your interest in the Territory. I’m the Chief Minister. Below are a few facts about COVID down here. https://t.co/cGFwBP7Nqx pic.twitter.com/mGNyOxlN41

— Michael Gunner (@fanniebay) October 18, 2021

He went on to spell out that vaccination was key to the protection of vulnerable Aboriginal people who belonged to "the oldest continuous living culture on the planet".

"We've done whatever it takes to protect the Territory. That's kept us safe AND free. We have been in lockdown for just eight days in 18 months. Our businesses and schools are all open. Did you know that?" he said.

"We don't need your lectures, thanks mate. You know nothing about us. And if you stand against a lifesaving vaccine, then you sure as hell don't stand with Australia. "I love Texas (go Longhorns), but when it comes to Covid, I'm glad we are nothing like you."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Gunner's tough vaccine rules have also been met with local opposition. The Country Liberal Party has described it as "draconian", while Federal CLP Senator Sam McMahon likened it to Nazi Germany.

However, Gunner is not backing down.

"You have a choice, if you want to work in a setting that interacts with vulnerable people, a classroom with kids who can't be vaccinated, you can choose that, I'm asking you to choose to be vaccinated," Gunner told Sky News Australia.

"That child doesn't get to choose to be vaccinated. An Aboriginal person in a remote community doesn't choose to be vulnerable. You get to choose whether you work in that setting or not and we're saying the health advice here is very clear that with the Territory and our vulnerable settings you need to be vaccinated if you want to work there."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

Premium
World

After the US bombing, there's still doubt about the results

23 Jun 03:07 AM
World

Australian senator makes pointed protest outside palace

23 Jun 02:32 AM
World

Veteran newsreader attacked by robbers in London's West End

23 Jun 02:22 AM

Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Premium
After the US bombing, there's still doubt about the results

After the US bombing, there's still doubt about the results

23 Jun 03:07 AM

New York Times: The fuel stockpile is stored in special casks small enough to fit in cars.

Australian senator makes pointed protest outside palace

Australian senator makes pointed protest outside palace

23 Jun 02:32 AM
Veteran newsreader attacked by robbers in London's West End

Veteran newsreader attacked by robbers in London's West End

23 Jun 02:22 AM
'Everlasting consequences': Iran says ‘all options’ on table after US strike

'Everlasting consequences': Iran says ‘all options’ on table after US strike

23 Jun 02:09 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

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