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Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says criticism of him fishing from his front yard is turning “a marlin into a sprat.”
On Monday, he shared a photo of himself fishing from the yard of his Northland property.
Although he was at home and was not breaking the blocking rules, the image raised some eyebrows, as many anglers have abandoned the sport during level four.
Others thought he had the right to do whatever he wanted within his bubble.
Screenshot from Twitter / Winston
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has posted a photo on Twitter of himself fishing in his front garden in Northland.
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Peters said Magic Talk The criticism was “extraordinary”.
“I am in my front field, inside my bubble, behaving within the law, doing things correctly and some could not avoid it and decided to try [and] solve a big problem if so, “he told the radio show.
Under the level four blocking rules, people were required to stay home and limit any outdoor activities that might require emergency services to take action, for example boating, mountain biking, and hiking.
Peters said his actions would not have required the help of the Coast Guard, and that people needed a sense of humor and balance.
The image, shared on Twitter, was captioned: “I am fishing that it is mowing the lawn …” and included a horse grazing nearby.
On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was questioned about Peters’ fishing spot and reiterated that there were expectations around people using boats to go out and carry out activities due to the risk it represented.
“I cannot give you a specific answer to what you just told me because, again, I am giving you the general rules at this time. The Coast Guard in particular is being very clear and for good reason.”
A Peters spokesman previously said “there was nothing to see here and nothing to add.”
Peters’ colleague, Health Minister David Clark, apologized and offered his resignation to the Prime Minister after violating the closing rules for going to the beach with his family and taking a bike ride.
He was stripped of his portfolio of associate finance minister and demoted to the bottom of the government cabinet ranking.
