A Whanganui man has been sentenced to one month in prison for repeatedly breaching the Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions.

Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller

The man, 38, had been verbally warned on five separate occasions, according to Central District Commander Superintendent Chris de Wattignar.

He was caught breaching the restrictions for a sixth time when he was discovered to have travelled some distance from his home via a vehicle.

*See all RNZ coverage of Covid-19

Superintendent de Wattignar said the man had no valid reason for leaving his address and that the imprisonment served as a timely reminder to the public.

"Our first step has been to educate people on the rules, but if people continue to break them as in this case, Police can use their discretion to warn people, or if necessary arrest them," Superintendent de Wattignar said.

"We are still at Alert Level 4, which means people should not be on our roads unless they are accessing essential services or delivering essential services."

Police will continue to be visible on our roads and in our communities throughout the country as Alert Level 4 continues, to support our communities and keep people safe.