Each week there is a heart wrenching story about a migrant worker or international student or new citizen or tourist locked out or locked into NZ because of the Covid border shut down.
None of these people planned for what happened, they are victims of circumstance and deserve our sympathy and compassion for being so torn between two worlds awash in uncertainty and vulnerability.
This ongoing trauma and pain of migrant workers, international students, new citizens or tourists is matched by our own citizens scrambling to get home as well.
The naked reality is that the optimism sparked by the creation of the vaccine has been horribly misplaced as the pandemic grows, virus mutates and incompetent vaccine deployment.
The borders are shut until 2022 at the earliest, 2024 at the most likely.
It’s going to take that long to get 75% global herd immunity and we don’t know if it will need to be a annual vaccination similar to yearly flu shots.
So.
The borders aren’t opening any time soon which means we need a better solution than this temporary measure.
We need to grant an amnesty to all international students and workers and overstayers currently in NZ and we need to expand capacity for processing travellers directly into quarantine via the RNZAF Hobsonville Air Base.
New Zealanders will not accept the virus getting back into NZ, but expanding arrival capacity is the only way we can meet demand from returning citizens plus the partners of those migrant workers and new citizens.
This pandemic isn’t going away, it’s only getting worse and it will be with us for far longer than most anticipate.
We have to expand capacity to ensure fleeing Kiwis can get home while extending some compassion to those stuck here or locked out through no fault of their own.
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We are at maximum capacity right now unless then open up Wellington for isolation facilities. The balance around NZ haven’t taken the bait and quite rightly told the government to fuck off. In order to deal with the above you need more capacity, there is no more capacity (into the medium term) unless you increase risk.
We are at maximum capacity right now unless then open up Wellington for isolation facilities. The balance around NZ haven’t taken the bait and quite rightly told the government to fuck off. In order to deal with the above you need more capacity, there is no more capacity (into the medium term) unless you increase risk.
In the First World War the British and Empire soldiers lived in squalor whilst the Germans enjoyed relative luxury (at least until 1917), with proper facilities constructed deep underground, and usually in dry areas.
On reason for the difference was that the British leadership always regarded their positions as temporary, and accommodation only needed to serve for the very short time before the next success on the battlefield. The popular chant “Over by Christmas” started to have a hollow ring during the battles of the Somme and Passchendaele etc.
“Over by Christmas.”
Yeah, Christmas 1918, not Christmas 1914.
So it goes with Jacinda an company.
Tourism bubble. Check. Slight delay.
Housing predicament. Check. Slight delay.
Child welfare. Check. Slight delay.
Climate crisis. Check. Slight delay.
Ad infinitum.
And don’t mention the imminent implosion of the financial system or Peak Oil, or the Sixth Great Extinction Event.
Check Covid 19 OVER THE WHOLE WORLD CHECKMATE
Like the Whenuapai airbase as a quarantine zone idea. Plenty of land to whack up barrack type housing done so under emergency conditions. Solves the staffing issues and unnecessary travel.
These could be transformed into emergency housing post pandemic. Not that Labour is worried about silly things like housing sadly.
“Plenty of land to whack up barrack type housing done so under emergency conditions”
Of course it could. Just as the military could be more involved in providing temporary accommodation for the homeless till they finally get around to solving the housing crisis. However they’re still debating whether or not it’s a ‘crisis’ or an ’emergency’, and they’ll probably be doing so right up until winter and beyond.
I seem to remember that between trips across the Desert Road there was substantial housing (temporary or otherwise) development at Waiouru
Not sure but I imagine there must be quite a few 40 foot by 8 foot by 9 foot shipping containers going cheap at the moment that could be adapted with some enterprising NuZull company doing the necessary.
Oh, that’s right – I forgot ….. we don’t make anything anymore
Transformation and Kindness apparently comes at a glacial pace. I’d hate to think how lil ‘ole NuZul would cope if there was a hot war.
Let’s get MBIE onto it shall we? Various Ministers are in thrall of their Chief Gee-Bang-Wonderboys. We should have a slewshun in no time.
Great idea X-ray sarcasm. – lets also evict the state house tenants for the worlds poor to take their places, and start housing more of the world’s middle class looking to buy dual nationality to drive NZ rents and housing up, and give more offshore migrants free NZ pensions and free NZ health care and uni places and jobs that the current and next generation of Kiwis don’t deserve. Great idea!
If there is free accomodation going in NZ, wouldn’t it be more humane and in keeping with human rights to start housing NZ’s homeless instead of migrants with money for airfares who already have homes in their own countries?
I would like to know how Neil Gaiman got into NZ relatively easily, when so many residents and citizens are having such major issues?
This government can turn it’s back on the children in poverty and those families now living in motels so it is easy for it to turn a deaf ear to those non citizens stuck overseas. It would be good if the care Jacinda showed to Muslims after the shooting could be shown to these families torn apart through no fault of their doing.
What the FUCK have Muslims got to do with it? FFS! Or Micky Doolins or Proddies or Sikhs or fucking Jedi for that matter – or am I misreading you maybe. Possibly I am. Are you saying she should show the same compassion, or are you suggesting some pecking order?
Hopefully at first glance, I’ve misread you. My current disappointment in Labour and its MPs knows no bounds, but I’m sure most are really quite comfy.
In any event, Labour really need to get their shit together (in this space, going forward)
Just to confirm I am from Chch and saw her at the memorial service after the shootings and you could tell from the body language her words were sincere not just a politician putting on a show.So I would like to see that compassion again in so many other fields.
These families that cannot reunite are just one example of a lack of any empathy shown by this Labour Government so far. They won over enough people to rule with no one holding them back eg NZF last time around.What are they doing with this power for those that voted them in?
Trev we haven’t got the health workers, we don’t have the security capacity and we can’t even deliver decent and prompt health services for us little lone us reconnecting love ones, sorry. I am personally getting sick of all the sob sobs we have to think of our entire country. Many of those making noises aren’t born here, haven’t been here for long, came here through back door measures like education and training type schemes. Yes some people may be getting in that probably should not be a priority but if that new strain breaks out in our communities we might be digging mass graves ourselves.
Pretty tired of these stories. We need to look to our own we don’t need more international students who bring in their families. We don’t need more migrant workers so our employers can keep paying shitty wages. Each time we bring in workers for fishing fleet 10 -20% are infected as they lie about their Covid status – not the workers fault they need the money! With all the new mutations we need to clamp down on who’s coming
100% agree with you
I I I me me me we we we us us us.
Totally agree with ya Luce. Not my fault we we we (lil ‘ole NuZul that punches above its weight) played a big part in creating this situation eh?
Let us know when you’re off on a fishing boat or up in the Bay to pick a few Kiwi will ya? I’m sure you’ll be leading the pack in standing up for our rights
Absolutely. Sorry Bomber no sympathy for non NZ born residents stuck here or anywhere.Deport them, end of story. Citizens of NZ ? no worries.We have too many migrants. The majority from Asia have poor to non existent English skills.( this rule was enforced in the 90’s, Key and Co didn’t bother to apply it) The number of sex crimes committed by Indian men rises each year.Invariably they have been here for 20 years on a student visa. Downtown Auckland is filthy and less attractive than Ho Chi Min City or Singapore.Asians now comprise 20% of our population. NZ’s population was not supposed to reach 5 million until 2030.WTF is going on??
Covid is the perfect opportunity to put a moratorium on all immigration.
Such a move would guarantee Labour power for 2 more terms. Do not underestimate the size of the gutsful Kiwis have had. Low wages, high rents, extortionate house prices, land banking, ghost houses, poor health and education services . Hopeless infrastructure developments , rorting of the public purse( Christchurch rebuild a shining example )scams scams scams and the swamping of our identity.To mention but a few.Useless neo liberal economics not working???why just fill the country with un screened migrants with a few hundred thousand in their back pockets and blind the local morons with Rugby, Amerika’s Cup etc and grossly inflated land house values and watch your city fall apart and your country destroy it’s natural environment for idiot tourism served by cheapskate migrants, no work for locals no free education for the young no substance of ANY kind.Just sell your home and be happy ….with what ? it’s only fucken money.
Yes Shona I see many of the people you are describing at our local market every Saturday and wonder how the fuck did they get into our country and who let them in.
Quite so.
My suggestion: only those living overseas who have no other passport than NZ should be allowed back in.
+1 Lucy – Lefties don’t worry about the 10,000 and growing homeless in NZ, let’s spend more taxes on mostly rich foreigners bringing themselves and their dependants into NZ, to buy dual citizenship.
totally agree Lucy!
Just to confirm I am from Chch and saw her at the memorial service after the shootings and you could tell from the body language her words were sincere not just a politician putting on a show.So I would like to see that compassion again in so many other fields.
These families that cannot reunite are just one example of a lack of any empathy shown by this Labour Government so far. They won over enough people to rule with no one holding them back eg NZF last time around.What are they doing with this power for those that voted them in?
Another high needs, foreign gang member, mentally ill overstayer foreigner allowed to stay in NZ.
Keep the standards high, NZ!
Suicidal Malaysian ex-gangster who overstayed for 20 years can remain in NZ
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300206888/suicidal-malaysian-exgangster-who-overstayed-for-20-years-can-remain-in-nz
Another house for an unemployed person needed, another mental health professional taken up, another suicide and mental health place taken, more justice time and lawyers needed for our preferred ex criminal citizens from overseas….
The more fucked up you are, the more likely to get a permanent place in NZ.
If you are a crim on the run from former crimes, NZ will take you to save you from justice in your own country as part of our NeoKindness and ‘practically perfect’ persona!
The dangers of having a small population but preferring to select crims, to create a fucked up society than actually a successful one.
NZ does not exactly lead the world in helping our own mentally ill and suicide victims.
Intellectually disabled teen kept in prison because he had nowhere else to go, Charity does not start at home in NZ!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123355414/intellectually-disabled-teen-kept-in-prison-because-he-had-nowhere-else-to-go
Family want answers after son dies in Oranga Tamariki care
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/family-want-answers-after-son-dies-in-oranga-tamariki-care/FCG3FY433YIXFZO43E2JDJHSQE/
Since the late 1990s, suicide rates among young men in New Zealand have increased by almost 50%.
New Zealand is placed 35th out of 41 OECD countries for our child wellbeing in the Unicef 2020 report card last week.
Lefties, government and advisors, keep diverting NZ taxes away from people who live here who need it, and concentrate on the world’s current crims and high needs individuals that want to live in NZ and take up resources here while own own people suffer and die.
Don’t worry NZ ‘values’ and the race to the bottom continues…
The Warehouse apologises after coming under fire for ‘sexist’ listing for child’s bike
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2021/01/the-warehouse-apologises-after-coming-under-fire-for-sexist-listing-for-child-s-bike.html?fbclid=IwAR1_JBlfnY8j6ezuvM_BE_Pf0EXKd1hBJde_JG98WDxUrWsXqv4EbFKWWZ0
“As a girl, I’m ever so glad for these easy safety systems. I don’t know how else I would’ve coped! Thank you Warehouse, my life safter!” one woman wrote.
Not only sexist, has multiple spelling mistakes in the listing…. I guess the former UK based CEO of the Warehouse is proud, and a sign of the times in NZ, as more and more overseas executives justify their enormous salary while questionable standards and making more people redundant to push cheaper workers who may not be at the same standards in literacy or have similar cultural values, as their traditional workers.
The new style of worker in NZ, the “self employed contractor”, are the consumer and NZ business, really better off?
NZ Post apologises after video of NZ courier chucking package from van goes viral
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2021/01/nz-post-apologises-after-video-of-nz-courier-chucking-package-from-van-goes-viral.html
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