COVID-19: New Zealand to start opening borders on 27 February 2022

In an address to a Business NZ Conference today (3 February 2022) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a 5 stage program to open up the country.

It’s a broad and graduated brush, but at least its a plan:

• Feb 27
  Vaccinated returning Kiwis from Australia will have to self-isolate – but not in a Government-run managed isolation facility (MIQ). Critical workers in Australia are also included.
• March 13
  New Zealanders, some critical workers and their families from the rest of the world will be able to return under similar conditions. These first two stages include both citizens and permanent residents.
• April
  Non-citizens with visas – like international students and some skilled workers – will be able to return without spending time in MIQ.
• July (or earlier)
  The country to open up to non-citizens from visa-waiver countries – like Australia, the USA, and UK. Ardern says there is a “high-likelihood” of things moving faster
• October
  New Zealand opens to the rest of the world and normal visa processing resumes

There is obviously more detail to come, but this is a good sign.

At the moment, New Zealanders wishing to return to their home country have to enter a kind of lottery to gain one of the restricted 4500 government-managed isolation facilities (MIQ). Although relatively effective in controlling the entry of the virus, it has been very unpopular with returning Kiwi’s. The ability to ‘home quarantine’ for these returnees from 27 February will be greeted with joy by ex-pat’s I imagine.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Incidentally, the July date for allowing Australians to enter the land of the long white cloud also means that I can go ahead with my planned visit to the North Island – already delayed twice due to the dreaded COVID.