Police will increase its presence in Northland - including Kaitaia - after Dr Lance O'Sullivan criticised residents for the "ridiculous" amount of people out in town.
Dr O'Sullivan was in the Northland town on Wednesday to set up a medical clinic when he filmed himself on the main street with cars constantly driving past.
"There's far too many people on the road, far too many cars," he said in the live Facebook video.
On Thursday, Northland District Commander Supt Tony Hill said several complaints had been received about people breaching restrictions.
"The number of people out and about in the Kaitaia town centre over the past few days is unacceptable and disappointing."
Supt Hill said it was clear some residents were leaving their homes for non-essential purposes.
"We have taken further measures by deploying additional staff and increasing our 24/7 Police presence in the Kaitaia area."
Thursday is New Zealand's eighth day of COVID-19 alert level 4 - meaning the country is effectively in lockdown. People are only allowed to leave their homes to access essential services or to exercise nearby.
Dr O'Sullivan's rant, meanwhile, was not well-received by locals who were quick to comment on his Facebook post.
"No consideration toward pensioners and beneficiaries. Pensioners don't do online banking so they go into town," one said.
"Some whānau probably were caught out last round of pay with kai and have been holding out since.
"So don't jump too quickly to tarnish the community without a solution to the debacle."
Police, however, say residents will be educated further on how to comply with restrictions.
"We don’t want to be arresting people for not complying, however further enforcement action may be taken against those who are repeatedly refusing to comply with the restrictions," Supt Hill said.
"It is everyone’s responsibility to protect our whānau, neighbours, and community and stay home, in order to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission and help keep everyone, and particularly our most vulnerable, safe.
"We know the vast majority of Northlanders are doing the right thing and staying at home and we thank you for doing so."
