Matt King resigns from The National Party and joins The Human Rights Advocates in Wellington

After posting on social media a picture of himself and his parents at a restaurant in Paihia, King responded to those questioning whether he had displayed proper social distancing with staff by saying "I think the social distancing stuff at the stage we are at now is over the top. We haven't had any new cases in Northland for a month. I'm just using my brain as an adult and he was too. We're not Nazi Germany." In a separate post, King's support for changing funeral rules also drew a sharp response. He told one Facebooker: "You are blind at the altar of St Jacinda."[18]

In August 2021, almost a year after he had left Parliament, King posted an article on Facebook that described COVID-19 vaccines as dangerous and downplayed the risks of the virus. National Party leader Judith Collins distanced herself and the party from these claims. King said that he was not anti-vaccine and was simply trying to start a conversation.[19]

In November 2021, King livestreamed on Facebook a discussion with University of Auckland epidemiologist Simon Thornley, where they discussed alternative (and widely debunked) treatments for COVID-19, as well as downplaying the severity of the disease.[20] Collins distanced the National Party from these comments, saying that the party believed in the effectiveness of vaccines,[20] while defending King as "a lovely guy".[21]

In a February 2022 interview, King stated "I do not believe for a second 90 per cent of people have been vaccinated. That's the big lie. We all know it's bullshit, this vaccination just is not supported by the science."[22]

King speaks at the anti-mandate occupation on the New Zealand Parliament grounds on 12 February 2022
As of February 2022, King heads a group that represents military and police who oppose vaccine mandates in those workforces. In February 2022, King announced that he would join Convoy 2022, a protest against COVID-19 vaccination mandates on Parliament's grounds. King said that his main concern was the vaccine mandates, and that the anti-vaccination component of the protest was "very small". The National Party distanced themselves from King's remarks, saying that "Matt King is no longer an MP for the National Party" and that the party "does not support the actions or the anti-vaccination messages of those involved in Convoy 2022." King said in an interview that he knew that his position could end hopes of re-selection as a National Party candidate but that he needed to stand on his principles.[23] He later resigned from the National Party due to this position.[24]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_King_(politician)