Did the Kiwis just blow up my March trip?

[JayJee]

I had an anniversary trip to the South Island planned for March and I am thoroughly confused by todays NZ government announcements.

Can someone (preferably from the other side of the ditch) help translate please?

Put simply, as an Aussie passport holder, who is triple vaxxed, but has no residency or other links to NZ, i.e. a tourist, will I be able to travel to your majestic country in March and spend my hard earned without quarantine or self-isolation?

NZ announcements today:

Step 1 – opening to fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and those residence-class visa holders and other travellers eligible under our current settings from Australia from 11.59 pm on 16 January 2022 (provided they have been in Australia or New Zealand for the past 14 days)

· Step 2 – opening to fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and those residence-class visa holders and other travellers eligible under our current border settings, from all but Very High-Risk countries, from 11.59pm Sunday 13 February.

· Step 3 – opening to fully vaccinated foreign nationals (possibly staged by visa category), from 30 April onwards

 

[skichic]

No Q free entry until 30/4/22 is my interpretation.

 

[JayJee]

No Q free entry until 30/4/22 is my interpretation.

Wow. I am totally gobsmacked by that. I thought January at the latest. But May? That's wild.

 

[teleroo]

Can't be too careful....sigh.

 

[JayJee]

The article below reads like the great news that I was looking forward to, coming as a tourist from Australia, until paragraph four:

However, Mr Hipkins said there would be a mandatory 7-day self-isolation period for those who were not required to enter quarantine.

I reckon that little gotcha will totally kill off any tourism. Who wants to self-isolate for the first 7 days of their holiday if they are double and triple vaxxed and have had a negative PCR before entry?

And if you do have to self-isolate for 7 days what is the point of "at least the last 14 days spent in Australia or New Zealand" as an entry condition?

The whole thing doesn't seem very well thought through. It's like they want to say "the country is open" without actually opening it.

New Zealand will begin to ease COVID border restrictions from January

Fully vaccinated New Zealanders in Australia will be able to travel to New Zealand without two weeks of quarantine from January 16, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.

www.abc.net.au

 

[expatgm]

The article below reads like the great news that I was looking forward to, coming as a tourist from Australia, until paragraph four:

However, Mr Hipkins said there would be a mandatory 7-day self-isolation period for those who were not required to enter quarantine.

I reckon that little gotcha will totally kill off any tourism. Who wants to self-isolate for the first 7 days of their holiday if they are double and triple vaxxed and have had a negative PCR before entry?

And if you do have to self-isolate for 7 days what is the point of "at least the last 14 days spent in Australia or New Zealand" as an entry condition?

The whole thing doesn't seem very well thought through. It's like they want to say "the country is open" without actually opening it.

New Zealand will begin to ease COVID border restrictions from January

Fully vaccinated New Zealanders in Australia will be able to travel to New Zealand without two weeks of quarantine from January 16, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says.

www.abc.net.au

yes the self isolation for seven days will kill it but minister Hipkins didn’t rule out that may change at today’s press conference so stay tuned .
I wouldn’t be buying air tickets or accommodation just yet.

 

[JayJee]

yes the self isolation for seven days will kill it but minister Hipkins didn’t rule out that may change at today’s press conference so stay tuned .
I wouldn’t be buying air tickets or accommodation just yet.

Already bought ages ago. Didn't even contemplate May in my wildest dreams. Lol.

 

[expatgm]

Already bought ages ago. Didn't even contemplate May in my wildest dreams. Lol.

Well your in the same boat as people who have already paid for airfare’s to Japan.Better to wait until the the respective governments allow you in before making commitments.

 

[DidSurfNowSki]

I'm sorry. It's my fault. I bought a NZ ski season pass for next year.

 

[Donza]

Already bought ages ago. Didn't even contemplate May in my wildest dreams. Lol.

Why?

NZ has/is been super cautious about opening its borders to other countries.

 

[teleroo]

I'm sorry. It's my fault. I bought a NZ ski season pass for next year.

Me too x 3. Airfares as well. Counting on straight through travel by Sept '22. Surely...

 

[DidSurfNowSki]

 

[JayJee]

Well your in the same boat as people who have already paid for airfare’s to Japan.Better to wait until the the respective governments allow you in before making commitments.

Yeah funny you should mention that. I actually had Furano booked. All fully refundable.

Maybe it's me!

 

[JayJee]

Why?

NZ has/is been super cautious about opening its borders to other countries.

Because we had a bubble going before and I didn't think they'd be so batshit crazy to keep their borders shut to Australia until May 2022!

They are 84% second dose right now. What do they really think is going to be different in May, versus January? Besides maybe some vax immunity waning?

 

[Donza]

Because we had a bubble going before and I didn't think they'd be so batshit crazy to keep their borders shut until May 2022!

They are 84% second dose. What do they think really is going to be different in May, versus January? Besides maybe some vax immunity waning?

Half of Australia can barely travel within its own borders.
They look at us over here and laugh.

 

[JayJee]

Half of Australia can barely travel within its own borders.
They look at us over here and laugh.

Probably. There's foolishness in all directions.

 

[ScottGN]

To say that there was some surprise at the timeline outlined today would be an understatement. It’s hard to know what the government is trying to achieve. It’s almost certain there will be exactly as much Covid circulating globally by the end of April as there will be in the middle of January and we will be opening up fully just as the country is about to head into winter which seems at the very least a little counter intuitive.
The minister claims that the govt is guided by health officials advice and is trying to avoid the situation unfolding in Europe where restrictions are being reintroduced. We know though that the health advice at that time was strongly in favour of keeping Auckland at L4 for longer but the govt yielded to political pressure and their polling of Aucklanders to move the city to a lower level of restrictions.

 

[Donza]

To say that there was some surprise at the timeline outlined today would be an understatement. It’s hard to know what the government is trying to achieve. It’s almost certain there will be exactly as much Covid circulating globally by the end of April as there will be in the middle of January and we will be opening up fully just as the country is about to head into winter which seems at the very least a little counter intuitive.
The minister claims that the govt is guided by health officials advice and is trying to avoid the situation unfolding in Europe where restrictions are being reintroduced. We know though that the health advice at that time was strongly in favour of keeping Auckland at L4 for longer but the govt yielded to political pressure and their polling of Aucklanders to move the city to a lower level of restrictions.

Well you are going to have 5200 deaths at 80%...

Though I do agree with.
"It’s hard to know what the government is trying to achieve."

They seem to be bumbling along a bit and making it incredibly complex.

Though i'm not shocked.

 

[ScottGN]

Well you are going to have 5200 deaths at 80%...

Though I do agree with.
"It’s hard to know what the government is trying to achieve."

They seem to be bumbling along a bit and making it incredibly complex.

Though i'm not shocked.

Yeah I’m inclined to agree with you for once.

 

[Donza]

Yeah I’m inclined to agree with you for once.

The thing is. NZ's intial messaging was so brilliant and concise.
Short and sensible.

Its almost like they stumbled on the transition from "elimination" to living with covid.

 

[ScottGN]

The thing is. NZ's intial messaging was so brilliant and concise.
Short and sensible.

Its almost like they stumbled on the transition from "elimination" to living with covid.

I think the problem they have now is navigating the shifting sands of political fortune. It’s no secret there is real tension inside the government on the way forward. The Māori caucus within Labour is considerable and has real sway over the government (and I think that’s a great thing, its well past time we faced up to our post-colonial realities) and they clearly wanted to pursue elimination for much longer. It’s testament to the skills of the PM and her personal mana that the course of ‘living with Covid’ was even charted.

 

[ScottGN]

yes the self isolation for seven days will kill it but minister Hipkins didn’t rule out that may change at today’s press conference so stay tuned .
I wouldn’t be buying air tickets or accommodation just yet.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see that changed as the time for opening nears.

 

[Aquila]

The thing is. NZ's intial messaging was so brilliant and concise.
Short and sensible.

Its almost like they stumbled on the transition from "elimination" to living with covid.

Yeah. Anecdotally I know a lot of people IRL who voted for this government in 2020 because they were impressed by the covid handling and clear strategy - those same people are now feeling very disillusioned and frustrated that the govt doesn't seem to have any clear or consistent strategy at all anymore, and "won't be voting for this government again".

I would take everything announced with a grain of salt at the moment.

 

[ScottGN]

Newshub-Reid Research poll: 7 in 10 believe vaccinated, COVID-negative Kiwis should be able to skip MIQ

Critics have labelled the Government the Grinch who stole Christmas.

www.newshub.co.nz

 

[ScottGN]

Yeah. Anecdotally I know a lot of people IRL who voted for this government in 2020 because they were impressed by the covid handling and clear strategy - those same people are now feeling very disillusioned and frustrated that the govt doesn't seem to have any clear or consistent strategy at all anymore, and "won't be voting for this government again".

I would take everything announced with a grain of salt at the moment.

Like most governments the Ardern govt polls constantly and the decisions they make are in some part informed by that polling. If their polling starts to show that NZers rate trans-Tasman travel higher than the safety of the closed borders then they will adjust accordingly. But I’m betting it doesn’t, at least not yet. In some ways Ardern is battling to move us forward against the polling they are getting.

 

[Marty McSly]

Step 2 – opening to fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens and those residence-class visa holders and other travellers eligible under our current border settings, from all but Very High-Risk countries, from 11.59pm Sunday 13 February.

other travellers eligible under our current border settings

Who are these?

from all but Very High-Risk countries

Is Australia classed as Very High Risk?

I'd have thought that, prima facie, the key date for you would be 13 February.

Worth investigating.

 

[ScottGN]

Who are these?



Is Australia classed as Very High Risk?

I'd have thought that, prima facie, the key date for you would be 13 February.

Worth investigating.

The other travellers considered eligible are those people who are family members of NZ citizens and Permanent Residents who may not, of their own right, hold documentation that otherwise would guarantee them entry to NZ. It’s basically the same criteria that’s in play at the moment.
And no, Australia is not classified as high risk.

 

[Red_switch]

The thing is. NZ's intial messaging was so brilliant and concise.
Short and sensible.

Its almost like they stumbled on the transition from "elimination" to living with covid.

Yeah they have shit the bed here a bit really.

 

[Red_switch]

Like most governments the Ardern govt polls constantly and the decisions they make are in some part informed by that polling. If their polling starts to show that NZers rate trans-Tasman travel higher than the safety of the closed borders then they will adjust accordingly. But I’m betting it doesn’t, at least not yet. In some ways Ardern is battling to move us forward against the polling they are getting.

They don't just poll, they use focus groups extensively, and social media sentiment analysis gets a lot of traction too.

 

[ScottGN]

Yeah they have shit the bed here a bit really.

My initial reaction was that the timeline for the border reopening was unnecessarily cautious. But then we hear today that doors are closing to Southern Africa because of the new variant there and that the border between Hong Kong and mainland China may not open as planned because 2 cases of the variant have turned up in HK. So who knows?

 

[sli1]

My initial reaction was that the timeline for the border reopening was unnecessarily cautious. But then we hear today that doors are closing to Southern Africa because of the new variant there and that the border between Hong Kong and mainland China may not open as planned because 2 cases of the variant have turned up in HK. So who knows?

I just wouldn’t trust booking to any state that has demonstrated zero tolerance for Covid. They are conditioned to shut the gate as perceived control no1. I would have no faith in booking at any time to qld, wa or nz at this point.

 

[GS]

Already bought ages ago. Didn't even contemplate May in my wildest dreams. Lol.

Don't feel too bad, we were booked to fly over to Dunedin today to head further south on a boat.
Going back into work instead.....sigh

 

[Red_switch]

Don't feel too bad, we were booked to fly over to Dunedin today to head further south on a boat.
Going back into work instead.....sigh

Too hot in Dunedin currently.

 

[markopolo]

any news?

 

[chunky]

I've had my campervan hire credit from last year pushed out to June 2023. That doesn't sounds good for anything for NZ this year. And covid supposedly is more active in winter. Can't see an opening in May at this stage either.

 

[JayJee]

Sitting here unmasked in a restaurant in Whistler BC having a fine time. The Kiwis don’t know what they are doing. They could actually use some Omicron in the country to displace the Delta.

 

[Gototakahashi]

Surely NZ’s tourism industry can’t go three years in a row like this?

Is there a reason they are won’t opening quarantine free yet? Everyone has had the chance to get vaccinated.

 

[markopolo]

I reckon I will pull the pin on my late april booking.

 

[skichic]

Do you reckon there’s any chance this winter?

 

[expatgm]

Do you reckon there’s any chance this winter?

Too early they have just postponed the next MIQ intake due to arrivals with omicron and they want to keep it out as long as possible although you can be fairly certain it will be in the community sooner than later. So Aussie tourism is way down the list.

 

[sastrugi]

I reckon I will pull the pin on my late april booking.

Did you pull the plug? Qantas pulled the plug on my June trip 24 hours before Jacinda announced early April opening. I think it's for the best, I'll aim for next summer now. But you can now go late April!