Dr Ashley Bloomfield stepping down: Here are all our favourite moments with him

He's graced our TV screens since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, but now Dr Ashley Bloomfield is officially stepping down as Director-General of Health.

Gone may be the days when we tuned in to hear his dulcet tones during the 1pm press conferences, but Bloomfield will be forever in our hearts.

He's fielded questions left and right and kept us all laughing through what have been some of Aotearoa's darkest days during the pandemic.

And his role during the pandemic has been immortalised in several moments that will go down in New Zealand television history.

Bloomfield was even a finalist for Television Personality of the Year in 2020 - but turned down the nomination because he's "not a TV personality".

Well, Dr Bloomfield, we beg to differ - here we look back at some of his most iconic television moments.

Spread your legs

Okay, so it was Chris Hipkins who uttered this line - but it was Bloomfield's reaction that left us all in stitches.

It sparked countless memes and even a mug, so Kiwis could remember the iconic moment every time they took a sip of their cuppa.

His TikTok debut

Despite being uncertain if he'd ever get TikTok when asked at a press conference, Bloomfield made his debut on the app on the official Unite Against Covid page, with a special shoutout to rangatahi who got vaccinated.

High-risk activity

This one was a team effort from Bloomfield and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, after they were asked about sexual activity between a Covid patient and a visitor at Auckland hospital.

Bloomfield said it was definitely a "high-risk activity".

The PM added, "Regardless of Covid status, that kind of thing shouldn't generally be part of visiting hours."

Don't ask him about bleach

Who could forget the moment Bloomfield was asked by the Herald's own Jason Walls about rumours people were injecting themselves with bleach to cure Covid?

"I don't think I need to comment on that, Prime Minister," he said, shutting it down - with the PM agreeing to "let your silence speak for itself".

Busting a move

Bloomfield got the chance to spread his legs at a Super Saturday event to promote vaccination in Porirua last year.

Footage posted to social media by Labour's Mana MP Barbara Edmonds shows that Bloomfield's hips don't lie - is there anything this man can't do?

His Sunday debut

Bloomfield proved he's an old hand at TikTok when he did the voiceover for an episode of Sunday using the app's duet feature.

Maybe a career in television presenting is next for the former director general of health?

His very own music video

Last but not least, he starred in this unforgettable dubstep remix of the familiar Covid-19 TV announcement.

Yes, it cost $40,000 of taxpayer money - but wasn't it worth it, New Zealand?

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.