In early March 2021, Tamaki and his wife Hannah attracted media coverage and public criticism after they left Auckland during a Level 3 lockdown and visited Rotorua in the North Island and Te Anau in the South Island, which were both under a Level 2 lockdown. The COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins described the Tamakis' actions as "completely irresponsible." The Mayor of Invercargill Tim Shadbolt also stated that the Tamakis were not welcome in the South Island city. That same month, Tamaki had defended Hannah's Facebook post stating that she would not take any COVID-19 vaccine, claiming they were not "anti-vaxxers" or conspiracy theorists.