Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a five-stage reopening plan to connect New Zealand to the rest of the world.
The five stages:
11.59 pm 27 February: Self-isolation opens for New Zealanders and eligible travellers coming from Australia
11.59 pm 13 March: Open to New Zealanders and eligible travellers from the rest of the world; skilled workers earning at least 1.5x median wage; working holiday visas
11.59 pm 12 April: Offshore temporary visa holders who still meet visa requirements; 5000 international students; consideration of further class exemptions for critical workforces that do not meet the 1.5x median wage test
By July: Anyone from Australia; visa-waiver travel; a new Accredited Employer Work Visa opens, and skilled worker exemption is phased out
In October: Border reopens to the rest of the world, all visa categories fully reopen.
Indian Weekender spoke to leaders from Opposition parties to know their take on today’s border reopening announcement.
Erica Stanford, National Party’s Immigration spokesperson:
The reopening of our border is welcome news for millions of New Zealanders offshore and at home.
National has been calling for the Government to end the lottery of human misery that is MIQ, and we are pleased that New Zealanders offshore now have some light at the end of the tunnel.
However, National is concerned that split migrants are being thrown to the bottom of the pile again, as many will have now to wait until the end of the year to reunite with their families.
We are also concerned that the staged reopening is only being stretched out until October because Immigration New Zealand can't deal with an influx of new visa applications.
David Seymour, Leader, ACT Party:
"Today's announcement of a slow staged, and uncertain border reopening is all about Jacinda, instead of New Zealanders. This will be Jacinda's third announcement about the same thing. As usual, it forecasts another announcement for next month. There is no good reason or evidence that today's decisions have been based on. Once there is more spread in the community than we will get from the border, there is no point in MIQ.
If the Government does feel the need to delay reopening until imported infections will not significantly affect the spread of Omicron, its policy should be simple. It should simply say, "we will reopen as soon as imported infections from home isolation make less difference than domestic infections."
"Once again, the Government has given itself a date where it could change its mind and slam the door shut again. There's no certainty. The Government is unprepared and procrastinating because it doesn't know what it's doing or what problem it's solving.
“We need an intelligent balance between COVID and getting our way of life back. Right now, all we’re getting is theatrics and spin over substance and decision making.”
Ricardo Menéndez March, Green Party’s Immigration spokesperson:
Every family deserves to be together, but thousands have been separated from their loved ones due to the pandemic. Priority should be given to people who want to come home to reconnect with whanau, including those who will be making Aotearoa their home. The Government should allow for the processing of visas for families as part of the first stage of reopening for non-citizens. Migrants stuck offshore who lost their visas because of our border settings should also be issued replacement visas and allowed to come back safely in April alongside other visa holders.