Was Green Party MP Ricardo Menendez also on “fetch your partner” visit overseas?

Green MP Ricardo Menendez March has revealed that the reason for his trip to Mexico - was to visit his sick father and terminally ill step-mother.

However, he also needs to come out clean if he was on “fetch your partner visit” as well, to bring along his partner. 

The story of Green Party MP’s visit to Mexico against government’s official advice, then his arrival back, not after seeking special treatment to jump the queue for MIQ facility which was declined by MBIE after due diligence, has attracted much public attention. 

However, what has escaped entirely from the public scrutiny is how he managed to bring his partner as well back into the country. 

Given that thousands of ordinary New Zealanders and temporary migrants living in New Zealand facing a forced and prolonged separation from their partners and facing a cold treatment from Immigration New Zealand where their successive applications are repeatedly declined – it is in the public interest for Ricardo Menendez to reveal his partner's visa-journey in a step by step manner. 

Ricardo has said in a media interview that his long-term partner who has been trying to get a visa to come to NZ since June 2020 eventually got visa approved on January 11 – and subsequently, they applied for MIQ space and luckily got it for February 1. 

In this regard, given that NZ borders continue to remain closed and INZ is giving only relationship-based visas, (other than critically skilled workers) it is of public interest to know on what visa did Ricardo’s partner entered NZ. 

Was any special exception made out for him that is not available for other New Zealanders and temporary migrants facing similar separation due to closed borders. 

Most importantly, did Ricardo’s partner’s visa application also included a mention of Ricardo “living together” in Mexico (from where the application was initiated) – because if that is the case, then Ricardo’s visit will classify as “fetch your partner.”

For uninitiated, thousands of frustrated New Zealanders separated from their overseas-based partners have been compelled to travel overseas (risking their jobs, work, businesses) to convince Immigration New Zealand that they were “living together” and eligible for a partnership visa. 

It is of immense public interest for Green Party MP to come out clean if that was the case with him as well or otherwise. 

As of now, it appears extremely coincidental to assume that his partner’s visa got approved just on time for them to hop on together back to New Zealand – without showing “living together” evidence to INZ. 

More importantly, the MP should have already come out clean on this extremely sensitive issue in the wider public interest on his first media interaction from the MIQ. 

The Indian Weekender had sent an enquiry to Immigration New Zealand and MBIE and to the office of Green Party co-leader James Shaw and Mr Menendez himself requesting more information and a response was awaited at the time of publishing of this story.