One of the women who travelled extensively around Northland before testing positive for COVID-19 has shut down rumours as to why they were in the region.
Northland was thrown back into a snap lockdown in early October after a woman who had been in the area tested positive for COVID-19 and refused to cooperate with authorities.
The Ministry of Health alleged the woman, and a travel companion, had used false information in their application for a travel exemption to cross the Auckland border into Northland, but this was only flagged once they had already crossed the border.
Police launched a search to find the second woman, who was later found at a west Auckland address and subsequently tested positive for the virus.
Speaking to the NZ Herald on Friday, the second woman said she wanted to shut down the "funny" rumours she and her friend were sex workers and connected to gangs.
The rumours had been backed by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters who claimed while appearing on Newshub Nation that Hawke's Bay-based Mongrel Mob leader Harry Tam was involved in the situation. He has since issued a correction and apologised for the false claim.
The woman claimed she had done "nothing wrong" and was "confident" she wouldn't face any charges for the alleged actions.
She told the NZ Herald the other woman had started a new business in the building and in-home service sector and had set up some "networking" meetings in Northland.
"She requested travel exemptions and gave them reasons we were going ... she had me down as an employee or assistant," the woman said.
"We had more meetings in Waikato planned for the next week ... I was assisting her."
The woman said after returning to Auckland, she self-isolated at home in line with COVID-19 health advice and she claimed she was in daily contact with a public health nurse.
"I felt it made sense to self-isolate. I wasn't hiding, I fully informed them where I was."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also shut down the sex worker rumours, saying there was no evidence to support the claim.
