Lunch with New Zealand’s top doctor and self-styled COVID-19 “eliminator” Dr Ashley Bloomfield has sold for $12,400 in a charity auction.

The country’s director-general of health has gained the twin statuses of celebrity and saint in New Zealand after his efforts to fight the virus.

In a move likely to endear him to an already adoring public, he has offered his time as part of a Cancer Society fundraiser.

The winner, who is yet to out themselves, will enjoy lunch with “Dr B” and six friends at parliamentary bistro Bellamy’s after parting ways with the bumper cheque.