With international tourism frozen, families separated and expats feeling abandoned, the question of how to reopen is becoming pressing
As vaccination continues around the world, the New Zealand government has begun providing glimpses of how the country will eventually reopen its borders. But there’s no immediate end in sight, even for expats who have received vaccinations overseas.
New Zealand has been closed to most international visitors for more than a year now. Anyone entering the country – except via recently-opened travel bubbles with Australia and the Cook Islands – is required to spend two weeks in government-run isolation. Even those spaces are only open to citizens, permanent residents or essential workers. For those eligible, access is still limited – at times, all spots in isolation have been booked out for months in advance. And while there are now spaces available, the cost of a visit is prohibitive for many: NZ$3,100 for anyone who left the country temporarily, or who is visiting for less than three months, and NZ$5,520 for those on a work visa.
