Finance Minister Grant Robertson has confirmed the US Ambassador to New Zealand was allowed to forgo managed isolation under an international treaty for diplomatic relations.
Ambassador Scott Brown recently returned to the country from Washington DC where there have been over 13,000 cases of COVID-19.
Upon arrival, Brown was allowed to go into self-isolation in his home in Lower Hutt instead of spending the normal 14 days in a border facility, which is required for other international travellers.
During the 1pm COVID-19 update, Grant Robertson confirmed the situation is allowed under the Vienna Convention, an international treaty on diplomatic relations.
When asked if he is happy with the actions and protocols taken to Brown's isolation, he said: "I am".
"That's a situation which has been here from the beginning of this," Robertson said.
"When it comes to diplomats there are conventions which sit in the background and one of those is the Vienna convention."
"It means there are slightly different rules around diplomats, but what is not different is that all the health precautions are taken in terms of transportation and getting here."
Robertson clarified that Brown was still being tested for COVID-19 on day three and day 12 of his isolation period which is in line with testing at managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
"[Brown] is following all of the protocols that need to be followed," he said.
On Friday morning Brown blasted headlines claiming he had skipped quarantine as "a lie".
"We are in total isolation in accordance with any rules and regulations of New Zealand," he told The AM Show.
Brown said one of the reasons he chose to isolate at home is because his role as an ambassador forbids him from accepting money from the Government.
"We should do everything at our own expense which is what we've done with other representatives of my team."
