Jacinda Ardern reveals NZ's new border reopening dates

International arrivals gate

New border reopening dates have been released by the Government, after the last dates were scrapped as Omicron began spreading across the world.

Step 1: February 27, 11.59pm.

- Vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travellers from Australia able to enter and home-isolate.

Step 2: March 13, 11.59pm.

- Two weeks later fully vaccinated New Zealanders and other eligible travellers from rest of the world able to enter and home-isolate.

- Critical workers skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage and highly skilled workers’ family members eligible to enter New Zealand.

Step 3: April 12, 11.59pm.

- Current offshore temporary visa holders, who can still meet relevant visa requirements, international student cohort of up to 5,000 students, further class exceptions for critical workforces that do not meet the 1.5 times the median wage test considered.

Step 4: Anticipate to begin no later than July 2022.

- Open to anyone from Australia and to visa-waiver travel. Accredited Employer Work Visa would open, phasing skilled and health worker border exception.

Step 5: October 2022.

- Border fully reopens for people anywhere in the world and all visa categories fully reopen.

Reopening steps.

New Zealanders will be able to enter from Australia from 11.59pm February 27, and have to isolate at home. Then two weeks later at 11.59pm on March 13, New Zealanders can enter from the rest of the world.

They would all have to be vaccinated and isolate at home. Unvaccinated people would still need to go into MIQ.

Also on March 13, which was called 'step 2', border exemptions would be broadened for critical workers and skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage, and for the family members of highly skilled workers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that would mean employees such as health workers, farm managers, horticultural workers and people from the tech sector and in education and construction, could enter from March 13.

Previous reopening plans have been shelved due to ongoing Covid uncertainty.

The working holiday scheme would also reopen in stages.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins called it "a very carefully developed plan that replaces MIQ for the vast majority of travellers while ensuring we maintain ongoing measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in our community from recent arrivals".

"By the time we start to reopen our border, we’ll be one of the most vaccinated and most boosted countries in the world and the Covid-19 Protection Framework (traffic lights) will be well established in helping to manage Covid outbreaks."

Jacinda Ardern on February 3

The Prime Minister also announced 'step 3', which was from April 12, which would see about 5000 more international students allowed in and temporary visa holders who still meet relevant visa requirements.

"Step 4 sees the biggest expansion yet, and includes our Australian cousins and all other visitors and business travellers who can normally enter New Zealand without a visa," Ardern said.

"This stage is likely to begin when we have much larger case numbers than we have now. For planning, we anticipate this stage will begin no later than July. I want to place strong emphasis on this being the latest we expect this to begin. There is a high likelihood of this date coming forward as we progress through the next stage of the pandemic."

"From July those on the new Accredited Employer Work Visa will open including for workers offshore. At this point, the critical worker border exception will be removed," she said.

She then said step 5 would begin in October and include visitors from anywhere in the world and would see all visa categories fully reopen.

Testing

People will be given three rapid antigen tests when they arrival at the airport to take home.

It would need to be used on day 0/1 and on day 5/6 and the other would be a backup.

"If a positive result is returned at any point, returnees will be asked to get a follow up PCR test at a community testing station," Ardern said. "That will help us to monitor any possible variants that may emerge. It will also help us assess when it’s safe to lift self-isolation requirements."

Isolation

Isolation requirements mean people would still have the same requirements as close contacts, needing to isolate for 10 days.

Ardern said it was "highly likely that they’ll come in contact with the highly transmissible Omicron variant on their journey, a fact you can see in our current numbers at the border, even with pre departure testing in place".

"That means currently, returning New Zealanders will need to self-isolate for 10 days."

It would drop down to seven days once New Zealand's Covid cases rise and the close contact isolation requirement changes.

"As the isolation period drops for close contacts here in New Zealand, as it does in phase two of our Omicron response, so too will returnees only need to isolate for 7 days."

Only high risk and unvaccinated travellers would be required to go into MIQ.

"That means the Defence Force will begin the process of withdrawing from MIQ, with some hotels returning to traditional use to support the return of our tourists. A core quarantine capacity will be maintained that can be scaled up as required, which will form the basis of a future National Quarantine Service."

Ardern said they would be continually monitoring the "need for and the value of self-isolation".

"The strong advice from our public health officials is that we still need it to manage our way through Omicron, but there will be a time in the not too distant future when that will not be the case. For now though we must continue to heed the public health advice that has served us so well."

In December last year, the previous phased re-opening dates were pushed out to the end of February. Vaccinated Kiwis from Australia were meant to be able to enter and isolate at home from January 17, then from the rest of the world from February 14.

BUSINESS

The plan has been welcomed by Business NZ, who said the phased reopening "made sense", although it hoped border controls would be fully lifted well before October.

"BusinessNZ would like to see border exemptions removed altogether, as it is an unnecessary bureaucratic step in the immigration process," Kirk Hope, chief executive, said.

"We’re also concerned that wage-based restrictions on the entry of skilled workers could be counterproductive. Restricting the entry of skilled workers earning below 1.5 x the median wage will add unnecessary wage pressure on firms."

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