People in NZ should not have same right to MIQ
The MIQ system has become financially perverse.
Right now, every Kiwi can apply for a place in MIQ. Think about that.
You don’t need to be sitting in a foreign country to enter the lottery. It’s perfectly OK to decide you’re bored with New Zealand and fancy a few weeks skiing in the Italian Dolomites – go ahead and enter the draw.
You might secure a room for February. You’ve just got to fly home on the winning date. The fares are $2400 return (economy) and add on a week in MIQ for $1610.
And there in lies the rub. You have exactly the same right to enter the MIQ lottery as every offshore desperate Kiwi left stateless by the Government.
While some sup on Bombardino others face enormous financial and family stress from the game of chance.
Onshore Kiwis could have good reasons for travel. Elderly parents overseas, babies born, or an important business meeting. But our Government isn’t bothered.
You don’t need to explain yourself. If you’ve got the cash and win a room there’s no judgment.
Should there be judgment? Probably.
If New Zealand citizens offshore are being denied entry why should onshore citizens be allowed to book MIQ rooms?
Shouldn’t we cancel the rooms booked by anyone currently inside our border? Their cases could be heard under the offline allocation system for emergencies.
Does the Government know who is winning rooms?
I don’t believe it does. How can it? The information you fill out on the MIQ site doesn’t ask if you are currently living in New Zealand. It only wants to know if your departure was after August 2020 (the decider on whether you pay for MIQ) and the address you’ll be going back to in New Zealand.
Does the Government know how many Kiwis want to come home?
I don’t believe it does. How can it?
We know there is a 20,000 to 30,000 queue for the lottery, but how do we know who is onshore and who is offshore right now? Every business owner who needs to work overseas probably has a MIQ account, along with anyone wanting a holiday or to visit family in another country.
As if our lucky-dip on citizenship wasn’t bad enough, we are set up to fight against ourselves; onshore versus offshore.
We are the only country with a Bill of Rights that has locked citizens out.
The phasing in of home isolation in 2022 comes with a very big absence in the dialogue so far – there’s no talk about the restoration of free movement.
Capped entry numbers into New Zealand remain firmly on the table, unless the political tractor hooks a very big U-ie. Home isolation, full MIQ, or a combo of both is just a matter of “form”. It doesn’t address the Government’s failure to create a range of isolation options that respond to risk and entry within a reasonable time frame.
The change-MIQ movement is gathering pace and voice.
For those who read a little about organisational change, you may have heard the saying “it requires a movement not a mandate”.
What’s notable at the moment is the range of different angles in the movement. There’s everything from stop MIQ today, to policy engagement, to laying down the legal gauntlet. All have relevant points.
Those leading the charge:
Sir Ian Taylor– founder of Animation Research Limited:
High on the engagement scale. Having been number 151 in the test of home isolation, he set about making his plus-one status meaningful. Two weeks of isolation were rammed full of trials of innovate tests and equipment.
2. Grounded Kiwis, 9000 facebook and 1700 Twitter members:
High on engagement, pitching a self-isolation system and petition to Parliament signed by 22,000.
After no result Grounded Kiwis is now seeking a court order to stop the Government continuing to run MIQ as a lottery and address their human rights responsibilities.
3. Adrian Littlewood, Auckland Airport chief executive:
“The time has come for the grief and inequity caused by these restrictions to end”.
Littlewood pointed out the international air network can’t be turned on at the flick of a switch and can take up to three months.
4. Otago University health academics: Lucy Telfar Benard, Jennifer Summers, Lesley Gray, Michael Baker and Nick Wilson:
They argue the current rules are inconsistent and arbitrary for fully vaccinated travellers.
5. Tudor Clee and Roshni Sami, New Zealand lawyers:
This has now been extended to parents separated from children. The Government has prevented every case being heard in the High Court by releasing MIQ rooms.
6. Andrew Geddis, Otago University law professor:
Commenting on the Government releasing MIQ places to people who took court action.
“It may or may not be entirely coincidental that doing so had the consequence of putting the legal action to an end before the High Court had a chance to rule on the Government’s actions. And now the Government is busy moving the legal basis for making MIQ decisions from secondary legislation into a primary enactment. That this parliamentary move will have the effect of largely insulating the overall MIQ process from being judicially overturned at a time when it is being challenged in the High Court again may not be coincidental.”
7. Chris Bishop, National Party Spokesperson for Covid-19 response:
Launched a petition to end MIQ and received 80,000 signatures in six days.
8. Chris Penk, Shadow Attorney General:
On human rights breaches: “I have also concluded that the limitations on these rights cannot be justified under s5 of the Bill of Rights Act. I find that the existence of an MIQ regime does not, in itself, breach the Bill of Rights Act. To be clear, it is the manner in which the MIQ regime has been operated.”
9. Peter Boshier, the Chief Ombudsman:
“The complaints fit into four broad categories – they claim the allocation system is unlawful, unfit for purpose, unfair and poorly managed. I have decided to do my own independent investigation into them all”.
10. Murray Bolton, owner of Bolton Equities:
The first person in New Zealand to win a legal case forcing the Government to review its decision on home-isolation. The Government did not appeal. He is now helping others navigate the legal system.
Janine Starks is the author of www.moneytips.nz and can be contacted at moneytips.nz@gmail.com. She is a financial commentator with expertise in banking, personal finance and funds management. Opinions are a personal view and general in nature.