| Update: While New Zealand opened to vaccinated travelers from visa-waiver countries as of May 1, 2022, the country has now moved forward the timeline for the rest of its border reopening. Vaccinated travelers from the rest of the globe will be allowed to enter New Zealand as of July 31, 2022. I’ve updated the below post to reflect that. |
Australia and New Zealand were two of the countries that initially took among the strictest approaches toward managing coronavirus, with both countries more or less keeping their borders closed for nearly two years.
In February, Australia reopened its borders to vaccinated visitors from around the world. In mid-March, New Zealand revealed the timeline with which it would open to vaccinated visitors. It’s exciting that as of May 1, 2022, New Zealand is once again open to travelers, marking a further return to normal when it comes to global travel.
In this post:
New Zealand’s phased border reopening plan
New Zealand is taking a phased approach to reopening borders, but arguably the most significant step has just been taken. For context on the timeline:
- Since February 27, 2022, fully vaccinated New Zealanders and select other eligible travelers arriving from Australia are able to arrive in New Zealand without having to go into a quarantine facility, but rather they can self-isolate
- Since March 13, 2022, fully vaccinated New Zealanders and select other eligible travelers from around the globe are able to arrive in New Zealand without having to go into a quarantine facility and without having to self-isolate
- Since April 12, 2022, fully vaccinated Australians and temporary work and student visa holders from around the world are allowed to enter the country again, without having to go into a quarantine facility and without having to self-isolate
- Since May 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travelers from visa-waiver countries (including the United States) are allowed to enter the country, without having to go into a quarantine facility and without having to self-isolate; note that unvaccinated children 16 or under can enter the country as well
- As of July 31, 2022, fully vaccinated travelers from all other visa categories, including those on visitor and student visas, will be allowed to enter the country, without having to go into a quarantine facility and without having to self-isolate
- As of July 31, 2022, cruise ships will be able to enter New Zealand, with the opening of the maritime border
New Zealand has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 95% of the population fully vaccinated. While the country managed to keep daily coronavirus cases in the single digits for much of the pandemic, the country faced a major omicron outbreak in early 2022. During the peak, New Zealand saw an average of 20,000+ cases per day. For a population of just around five million, that’s a lot of cases.
New Zealand’s testing requirement for vaccinated visitors
As mentioned above, New Zealand is now open to vaccinated travelers from roughly 60 visa-waiver countries. However, travel does require up to three tests:
- Vaccinated visitors to New Zealand need to get tested before travel; a PCR test within 48 hours of departure is acceptable, or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of departure
- Up to two rapid antigen tests are also required on arrival; travelers will be given a pack of tests, and need to take one within a day of arriving in New Zealand, and one on the fifth or sixth day in the country
While there’s some testing requirement here (unlike lots of other countries), at least this isn’t too bad.
My take on New Zealand’s border reopening
New Zealand’s pandemic response has certainly been polarizing. The country did what it could to protect citizens from coronavirus, though the question is at what cost. Of course New Zealand’s government needs to represent the will of the people, so I suppose our outsider opinions don’t really matter.
Personally I thought New Zealand did a great job early on in the pandemic, when we didn’t have vaccines, and healthcare systems around the globe were overwhelmed.
But two years into the pandemic, New Zealand ended up caving like many other countries that initially took a similar approach. New Zealand pursued a zero coronavirus strategy, and when it became clear that was no longer possible, the country decided to gradually open borders.
It’s awesome to see New Zealand finally open to vaccinated travelers, with a reasonable testing requirement, all things considered. While New Zealand isn’t going as far as Australia or Singapore in ditching testing requirements for vaccinated travelers, this ultimately shouldn’t be a huge roadblock for anyone interested in visiting this gorgeous country.
Bottom line
As of May 1, 2022, New Zealand has reopened its borders to vaccinated travelers from visa-waiver countries. Up to three tests are required, including one pre-travel test, and two rapid antigen tests on arrival. On top of that, we now know that New Zealand will open its borders to the rest of the world as of July 31, 2022.
It’s nice to see the world continuing to slowly return to normal, especially among the countries that were initially most conservative.
What do you make of New Zealand’s border reopening? Anyone planning a visit?
I am a fully vaccinated resident of thevUScand have been trying to get a flight into New Zealand to see my almost 1 year old grand baby, but even though flights show into AUK, they say we can’t book that portion. Please give me some suggestions. My son and daughter-in-law have received their resident visa holder status. The baby was born there I know they still need to wait about 5 more years for their...
I am a fully vaccinated resident of thevUScand have been trying to get a flight into New Zealand to see my almost 1 year old grand baby, but even though flights show into AUK, they say we can’t book that portion. Please give me some suggestions. My son and daughter-in-law have received their resident visa holder status. The baby was born there I know they still need to wait about 5 more years for their official resident status. I have my NZeTA and my known traveler status. What else do I need to get there to Hastings to see my grandbaby?
QF F Lounge and Park Hyatt Auckland ..... here I come for a long weekend over the Ditch. Baby steps as I learn to travel again!
During the last 2 years I've seen almost identical articles published by one mile at a time and loyalty lobby. Often even the same wording. The articles always got a huge response so were good clickbait money earners. Ben described the need for clickbait in an article a short while ago.
The storyline promoted on both websites was how dreadful that New Zealand and Australia shut borders. Both websites reported they had no plans,...
During the last 2 years I've seen almost identical articles published by one mile at a time and loyalty lobby. Often even the same wording. The articles always got a huge response so were good clickbait money earners. Ben described the need for clickbait in an article a short while ago.
The storyline promoted on both websites was how dreadful that New Zealand and Australia shut borders. Both websites reported they had no plans, no intention of visiting anyway. This was the childish, spit the dummy stage.
Then it was reported that each country was faltering at immunisation compared to Europe and the USA. That people were locked in " prison." Once a convict settlement, always a convict settlement. This was the ridicule stage.
Both websites discouraged readers from making points redemptions to the South Pacific claiming those countries wouldn't open until 2024 or maybe never. This was the disinformation stage.
Now it has occured to both one mile at a time and loyalty lobby that the South Pacific countries are open. Our reporters in both one mile at a time and loyalty lobby are falling over each other to make visits in a few months.
Go figure....
@ philelltt
Nice. You missed out the minor matter of Australia ditching pre-departure testing for inbound travellers. The hypocrite cry baby Americans who have dribbled their prejudice and misinformation on the various travel blogs can go suck on their thumbs until they are allowed to play with the adults again.
NZ PM has said that she expects NZ pre-departure testing also to be dumped before the border opening on 31 July. Maybe even that will...
@ philelltt
Nice. You missed out the minor matter of Australia ditching pre-departure testing for inbound travellers. The hypocrite cry baby Americans who have dribbled their prejudice and misinformation on the various travel blogs can go suck on their thumbs until they are allowed to play with the adults again.
NZ PM has said that she expects NZ pre-departure testing also to be dumped before the border opening on 31 July. Maybe even that will be before the US decides to fall into line with current practice. Choice!
@ Samo's ranting tantrum a few posts below is a typical example of some of the ignorant prejudice bordering on racism (and in some cases crossing into it) we've seen from loyalty lobby, not just its readers, but shamefully its contributors, a blog wherein counter commentary complete with the facts gets deleted from the blog.
I'm curious to view the numbers in NZ a year from now and compare them to the U.S. When you can't trust anyone else, at least the numbers are there to rely on.
Insomuch as our mortality rate in 2022 has been already dismal considering we have vaccines widely available, I do question if they're really as effective as the claims say (obviously they seriously reduce death and hospitalizations). Will tens of thousands of people...
I'm curious to view the numbers in NZ a year from now and compare them to the U.S. When you can't trust anyone else, at least the numbers are there to rely on.
Insomuch as our mortality rate in 2022 has been already dismal considering we have vaccines widely available, I do question if they're really as effective as the claims say (obviously they seriously reduce death and hospitalizations). Will tens of thousands of people die in the next year in a population of 5.3 million when 5 million are vaccinated? Or will it be in the low thousands? If the latter, then vaccines effectively turn this into the flu, and the risk/reward I think favors the decision to reopen.
Meanwhile, I've been already making plans to rebook my 2020 trip to Auckland, Christchurch, and Queenstown for late 2023.
"I do question if they're really as effective as the claims say (obviously they seriously reduce death and hospitalizations)."
So they are highly effective, then. You do realise that is the entire point of vaccines?
Simply trying to rationalize why, with more than 65% of the U.S fully vaccinated, that deaths in the last year have been approximately the same as deaths in the year before vaccines were widely available.
At one point hospitals were saying about 1 in every 14 patients was fully vaccinated. Cool, that points to vaccines being highly effective.
You would expect then that the numbers would decrease.
It's a complex formula, I'm sure, especially...
Simply trying to rationalize why, with more than 65% of the U.S fully vaccinated, that deaths in the last year have been approximately the same as deaths in the year before vaccines were widely available.
At one point hospitals were saying about 1 in every 14 patients was fully vaccinated. Cool, that points to vaccines being highly effective.
You would expect then that the numbers would decrease.
It's a complex formula, I'm sure, especially factoring that vaccines and cloth masks had different effectiveness depending on the variant, and that Omicron spreads more rapidly but is less deadly overall.
@ The Joe
There will no doubt be plenty of data on real world effectiveness of vaccines, including Australia, which has very high vaccination rates and fully opened borders after attaining relatively high vaccination rates. Go find the data.
You will no doubt find that the vaccines are highly effective at reducing hospitalisation and deaths. Those were the goals to keep hospitalisations well within resources (i.e. currently about 4-5% of hospital beds) and to avoid...
@ The Joe
There will no doubt be plenty of data on real world effectiveness of vaccines, including Australia, which has very high vaccination rates and fully opened borders after attaining relatively high vaccination rates. Go find the data.
You will no doubt find that the vaccines are highly effective at reducing hospitalisation and deaths. Those were the goals to keep hospitalisations well within resources (i.e. currently about 4-5% of hospital beds) and to avoid preventable mortality. Job done and done well.
Whilst the vaccines were being rolled out, most COVID deaths were in the elderly who had not yet received their booster shots.
Now given your snide comment below, I do hope that's not too long winded or complex for you.
I trust you will have a fantastic time in NZ and I have no doubt they will make you feel very welcome.
My thoughts about New Zealand - a country I once imagined I might move to - have been changed forever by the response to Covid. I've no desire to go anytime soon. New Zealand's "brand" has been squandered by political folly and casual oppression.
Thanks for letting us know.
I speak for everyone when I say that we were wondering what Mak’s plans were.
As a Kiwi I agree with Mak. This is the first government in my 60 odd years that I have despised. Labour and National (dems and republican) parties are pretty similar in NZ a little more left or right but usually no big deal and I have voted for both. This government is endangering our very way of life and should be gone in October 2023 when the adults can take control again. Adern is...
As a Kiwi I agree with Mak. This is the first government in my 60 odd years that I have despised. Labour and National (dems and republican) parties are pretty similar in NZ a little more left or right but usually no big deal and I have voted for both. This government is endangering our very way of life and should be gone in October 2023 when the adults can take control again. Adern is great on theatre but lousy on operational execution. "Casual oppression" is an excellent description and I would add purposeful division as well
@ Mak
NZ's national tourism branding remains resolutely intact, namely, 100%PURE.
I never thought New Zealand would reopen to tourists before Japan, whose border policy is now more in line with authoritarian backwaters like North Korea and Turkmenistan than with any remotely free countries.
Hey, I am in New Zealand now! Just came in today may 3 the second day after reopening. Was really straightforward to come in and all the info is in their website. Basically, 1: vaccinated 2:get an NZEta 3: check if you need to get tested. If you come from pacific countries (I came after 4 days in Fiji) you don’t need to. 4: fill out the declaration online and get your QR code.
...Hey, I am in New Zealand now! Just came in today may 3 the second day after reopening. Was really straightforward to come in and all the info is in their website. Basically, 1: vaccinated 2:get an NZEta 3: check if you need to get tested. If you come from pacific countries (I came after 4 days in Fiji) you don’t need to. 4: fill out the declaration online and get your QR code.
That’s it! Everything went very smoothly and they actually gave 3 tests per person on arrival. It is an honor system as you test yourself at your own convenience.
Outside visitors to New Zealand should use EXTREME CAUTION in traveling to NZ. You will be perceived with suspicion and probably have a very unwelcome welcome. The country had been brainwashed with self - righteous holier than thou status for the past 2.5 years that they were so much better than the rest of the world with covid. You will not be very welcome there and not have any semblance of enjoyment. From the Prime...
Outside visitors to New Zealand should use EXTREME CAUTION in traveling to NZ. You will be perceived with suspicion and probably have a very unwelcome welcome. The country had been brainwashed with self - righteous holier than thou status for the past 2.5 years that they were so much better than the rest of the world with covid. You will not be very welcome there and not have any semblance of enjoyment. From the Prime Minister on down the hysteria that was generated will be taken out on you to this day. Beware of travel to NZ.
@ Fed UP
BUT they did do better at managing CIOVID than most countries.
If you exposed that sort of attitude on a visit to NZ, you should expect to sledged for your ignorance and disrespect.
LOL. I lived in NZ during the pandemic before moving back to the US for visa reasons. We've already booked our trip back this upcoming November and are looking forward to returning home. I'm curious where your belief that outside visitors will be unwelcome comes from.
In my experience from living there, yes, most people are grateful for the approach the government took in response to COVID, but they have also been looking forward...
LOL. I lived in NZ during the pandemic before moving back to the US for visa reasons. We've already booked our trip back this upcoming November and are looking forward to returning home. I'm curious where your belief that outside visitors will be unwelcome comes from.
In my experience from living there, yes, most people are grateful for the approach the government took in response to COVID, but they have also been looking forward to the borders opening so they can travel and be reunited with family members for a long time as well.
"been brainwashed with self - righteous holier than thou status for the past 2.5 years that they were so much better than the rest of the world with covid"
Projecting much?
Are you kidding me?. I live in Auckland by a very popular beach and go out of my way to talk to people without a kiwi accent who look like tourists. so happy to see people again I have had a few nice chats with people. Very few Kiwis I know think being closed down for so long was sensible and everyone is just wanting to get on with life.
It's interesting that NZ's plan doesn't include a date for full reopening. At the time when many other countries moved on, they apparently still need 5 more months to even open to vaccinated people. What a joke. I suppose there are some places in the world where "new normal" really is a thing.
While NZ is high on my list of places to visit and even though I'm already eligible to visit without quarantine, I...
It's interesting that NZ's plan doesn't include a date for full reopening. At the time when many other countries moved on, they apparently still need 5 more months to even open to vaccinated people. What a joke. I suppose there are some places in the world where "new normal" really is a thing.
While NZ is high on my list of places to visit and even though I'm already eligible to visit without quarantine, I will stay away until things settle. I have a very low level of trust towards places that still don't understand that this is a normal disease that most of the population will get every year or two. You never know when this kind of places will go to another knee-jerk reaction and ruin your trip.
Just adding to the comments from Aussie and Kiwi mates on our vaccination strategy.
Jacinda ensured every ethnic groups to get vaccinated to end the delta lockdown. From my memory it was 90% vax target for every ethnic groups to lift the lockdown as the vax rate was ragging among Māori folks. I don’t blame them that I do not trust our government given our history.
Being a permanent resident of NZ after...
Just adding to the comments from Aussie and Kiwi mates on our vaccination strategy.
Jacinda ensured every ethnic groups to get vaccinated to end the delta lockdown. From my memory it was 90% vax target for every ethnic groups to lift the lockdown as the vax rate was ragging among Māori folks. I don’t blame them that I do not trust our government given our history.
Being a permanent resident of NZ after having lived in Japan, the US, UK, and Australia, what I saw during the last 2 years made me want to stay in OZ and NZ.
Kiwi and Aussies will get this but this is essentially “mate-ship”- we care about each other collectively. I mean we think it’s really rude not to say “how is it going?” When you order your coffee !
Yes, bring an only child, it sucked that I couldn’t see my widowed elder mother in Japan for the last 2 years. Many of us were on the same ship in NZ and OZ. We sympathized each other during the last 2 years. Many companies are giving us more flexibility to be able to work from overseas up to 3-4 months in this year to reconnect.
In fact, I did see my mum in Tokyo a week weeks ago, and now on my way to the US to see my partner’s family with a brief and cheeky stop in Langkawi and Dubai ! So it absolutely sucked during the last 2 years in NZ and OZ but it worked out well in the end in my opinion for all the reasons some of kiwi and Aussies mates have mentioned previously.
By definition, people who follow a travel blog are more likely to be in favour of open borders and minimal restrictions.
Don’t forget, Australia’s two states which most highly restricted inbound travel - Western Australia and Queensland - were rated by Standard and Poors as having the world’s number 1 and 3 economies just a year ago.
The real question is whether opening up now - at high vaccination rates - is worth the deaths...
By definition, people who follow a travel blog are more likely to be in favour of open borders and minimal restrictions.
Don’t forget, Australia’s two states which most highly restricted inbound travel - Western Australia and Queensland - were rated by Standard and Poors as having the world’s number 1 and 3 economies just a year ago.
The real question is whether opening up now - at high vaccination rates - is worth the deaths that follow. Queensland (population 5 million) had had 7 deaths by the time it opened up in December 2021. Now it has had 870 deaths, and letting in Covid has wreaked havoc on the economy due to close contact isolation, which we barely required before.
New Zealanders - like Australians - led a normal life up to now, apart from curtailed travel. Now they have to accept significant death numbers and economic disruption.
If you consider the UK, they have 10,000 flu deaths in a bad year. It’s May 3, and they have already had 12,000 Covid deaths this year.
Chinese-style Covid Zero does not work against Omicron. But having lived through closed and open borders in Australia, I can assure you - from my hotel balcony in Waikiki - that life was much more normal with closed borders.
So what's the end game here? Unless Australia plans to keep its borders closed forever (which no one wants), it has to open up at some point. Might as well open up when the levels of immunity are high with most people vaccinated. Every Covid death is sad and should try to be avoided, but they would have happened anyway. Studies showed that it doesn't matter when you open up, infections and deaths will rise...
So what's the end game here? Unless Australia plans to keep its borders closed forever (which no one wants), it has to open up at some point. Might as well open up when the levels of immunity are high with most people vaccinated. Every Covid death is sad and should try to be avoided, but they would have happened anyway. Studies showed that it doesn't matter when you open up, infections and deaths will rise no matter what. So why open up five years later with all the economic and social consequences when you're going to end up with the same number of deaths? Now you've just wasted five years with many industries and businesses suffering, and all you've done is managed to postpone inevitable deaths.
The economic consequences of being open have proven in both Australia and New Zealand to be far worse than the consequences of being closed.
After all, closed borders meant that we largely avoided lockdowns or social distancing or masking or working from home. Stores, theatres and stadiums stayed open, at full capacity.
We are far too wealthy to need to live off overseas tourism. We managed just fine while we were closed awaiting very high...
The economic consequences of being open have proven in both Australia and New Zealand to be far worse than the consequences of being closed.
After all, closed borders meant that we largely avoided lockdowns or social distancing or masking or working from home. Stores, theatres and stadiums stayed open, at full capacity.
We are far too wealthy to need to live off overseas tourism. We managed just fine while we were closed awaiting very high vaccination levels (10% higher than the UK, 20% higher than the USA).
900,000 US deaths equates to 75,000 in Australia and 15,000 in New Zealand - yet we have had less than 8,000 in the two nations combined.
While our economies have been doing just fine.
We are opening up now, but with no great enthusiasm. We are baffled at the lack of remorse in the USA and UK for killing off hundreds of thousands of your compatriots by prematurely opening up - we set ourselves higher standards than that. Neither of our countries opened up when vaccination rates were as appalling as they currently are in both the US and the UK, and hardly anybody wanted to.
Closed borders hurt those people dependent on international tourism, a bit, but domestic tourists replaced them anyway.
Now with rampant Covid we have genuine economic carnage because on any given day so many people can’t go to work or to school.
We know that you can’t keep Omicron out forever and that we have to open up now. But we are doing so with the bare minimum of enthusiasm.
"We are baffled at the lack of remorse in the USA and UK for killing off hundreds of thousands of your compatriots by prematurely opening up"
I don't think prematurely opening up is the sole cause of those deaths. You mentioned the other cause yourself: our vaccination in the US rate is far lower than in Australia and NZ. At some point, those of us who are vaccinated began to say, "we are protected and...
"We are baffled at the lack of remorse in the USA and UK for killing off hundreds of thousands of your compatriots by prematurely opening up"
I don't think prematurely opening up is the sole cause of those deaths. You mentioned the other cause yourself: our vaccination in the US rate is far lower than in Australia and NZ. At some point, those of us who are vaccinated began to say, "we are protected and we have to move on; we do not have a moral obligation to protect those who refuse to protect themselves." Of course, it was the unvaccinated who were most likely to scoff at any sort of covid-related restrictions to begin with, so at that point, public opinion about such restrictions began to align in general favor of reducing restrictions.
Agreed with snic. There's a lot more in the US situation than whether the borders are open.
The deaths in the US aren’t about having open borders or not. NZ could prevent deaths while still having open borders.
The frightened sheep will remain frightened for years, always coming up with an excuse..... we are just not sure, out of an abundance of caution, now is not the time, we must be very careful, and on and on, Australia is another country that travelers should be wary of visiting....
@ Harry
You are confused.
Australia's border are open.
No pre-departure test required for arrivals (unlike the USA).
But the problem isn't COVID. The problem is excessive COVID restrictions. You said it yourself, havoc on the economy is caused, among other things, by (pointless) contact isolation. Not by people actually being sick.
As for living normal life, I've spent most of the pandemic in Sweden and lived 99% normal life for the entire time. The worst thing was that bars closed a bit early for a while and big events were cancelled....
But the problem isn't COVID. The problem is excessive COVID restrictions. You said it yourself, havoc on the economy is caused, among other things, by (pointless) contact isolation. Not by people actually being sick.
As for living normal life, I've spent most of the pandemic in Sweden and lived 99% normal life for the entire time. The worst thing was that bars closed a bit early for a while and big events were cancelled. Otherwise you wouldn't even notice anything. But the difference to Australia and NZ is that it didn't require paying the price of being locked in a fortress - I could always leave and I could always return. Not only was there no isolation or capacity restrictions, when I became registered resident, I didn't even need a test anymore. I could've flew straight from Brazil without anything but my passport and resident ID and go straight to the bar in Södermalm (I didn't do it but I could).
This open borders vs open economy dillema is a false one. You can have both and there are countries that did.
@ Samo
So there WERE restrictions in Sweden during the earlier waves of COVID?! Bars shut. Events cancelled.
Nobody believes you. We have been told so many times over by various posters on this and certain other travel blogs that Sweden never implemented any restrictions!
Next you'll making stuff up like Sweden's COVID mortality rate was 5 times greater than that of other Nordic countries in the early waves of COVID. We won't believe...
@ Samo
So there WERE restrictions in Sweden during the earlier waves of COVID?! Bars shut. Events cancelled.
Nobody believes you. We have been told so many times over by various posters on this and certain other travel blogs that Sweden never implemented any restrictions!
Next you'll making stuff up like Sweden's COVID mortality rate was 5 times greater than that of other Nordic countries in the early waves of COVID. We won't believe you, since we've also been reassured so many times by various posters that Sweden miraculously avoided COVID deaths and any people that did die, didn't die from COVID or were going to die anyway.
And then you'll be telling us that you own attempts to travel the world during the pandemic were limited to COVID denialist regimes such as that in Brazil and the USA due to the restrictions on inbound travel by dozens of countries. We also won't believe you, since we have been told by posters from your country that, as Swedes you were free to travel to any country you wanted regardless of inbound restrictions in those countries. It's Meili, Son of Odin, let him pass!
Next you'll be telling us that most Australians during most of the time of the pandemic went about they daily business without any lock downs or significant restrictions. Now that we certainly won't believe, because people from Sweden know best and have reliably informed us on this and other blogs that we were all locked into our homes for months on end.
And then surely, you'll be telling us that our own borders are fully opened up - not even a pre-departure test is required. We certainly won't believe you, since we have been repeatedly lectured that Australia will never open up, never learn to live with COVID.
We are so, so grateful to be enlightened by the revelation that our individually lived realities during COVID were false and that the truth of our personal experiences is being reliably rewritten from those who live on the opposite end of the planet.
We are so, so grateful that this blog site and particularly another certain European based one has the better data and analysis than any primary source, scientific papers, medical research, and, folk like your good self, are ready to step up and pump out the racist mythology, the fake science, and the sad prejudice, which dribbles through your brain, to let us know that the health policy was wrong, the models were bogus, the medics and researchers were all in a mass conspiracy.
The Swedes know best.
Now pass me the sick bucket.
@platy
TL:DR
@ The Joe
DGAF.
Ben- Such a different response and tone to articles relating to Australia when the response to COVID was extremely similar.
You have completely missed the point of Zero Covid. It was to buy time until the population was very highly vaccinated - and it’s currently 20% more vaccinated than the USA.
It was never a forever thing. It was a strategy to preserve life until yhyou country was fully vaccinated.
The economy - like in most of Australia - pretty much carried on as normal, with barely any time spent in lockdown.
Saw Air New Zealand landing at LAX today!! What a joy
Good news, this phased approach makes perfect sense.
out of an abundance of caution, in May 2022, see the above comment, the sheep are still in hysterics....
The only sheep are people like you bruh
This worldwide show finally has to come to en end!
The entire concept that travelers who are citizens of selected visa waiver countries (primarily white) are less likely to be dangers to NZ society while those from dirty dark skinned countries must be kept out for months to come is typical of antipodean racist sentiments and it is disappointing to see someone like you celebrating them. All this policy does is continue to separate immigrant families while virtue signaling their progressive reopening.
Why immigrate to a place that is hostile to you and your family yin the first place?
Ahh I forgot, significant free social welfare handouts that are only available in countries that are well governed by smart (white) people.
@ Max
Hmmmm....inconvenient fact - the NZ parliament is very diverse:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/16/asia/new-zealand-parliament-diverse-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
"Why immigrate to a place that is hostile to you and your family in the first place?"
Well, if you're going to take that tact to try and justify your racism, I'd have the Maoris ask the same question of the white colonisers
Also, if the NZ Government's statistics are to be believed, immigrants to NZ have a nearly 1000% higher per capita contribution to economic growth than native born NZ citizens. That might...
"Why immigrate to a place that is hostile to you and your family in the first place?"
Well, if you're going to take that tact to try and justify your racism, I'd have the Maoris ask the same question of the white colonisers
Also, if the NZ Government's statistics are to be believed, immigrants to NZ have a nearly 1000% higher per capita contribution to economic growth than native born NZ citizens. That might actually explain why they are so keen on immigrants - someone has to make the contributions to the social welfare system for the unemployed whites to sponge off.
Absolutely true, the level of hostility has only increased... using COVID as a veiled excuse for discrimination
@Sean M
Well that's at best, misinformed, or at worst, BS. There are numerous countries on the list which are not primarily white. Presumably NZ's visa waiver countries are those with whom they have excellent diplomatic relations, a mutual understanding on the entry-exit process to their respective countries, and so established these ties pre-pandemic. These includes a variety of nations, beyond those you imply, including: Argentina, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, etc.
...@Sean M
Well that's at best, misinformed, or at worst, BS. There are numerous countries on the list which are not primarily white. Presumably NZ's visa waiver countries are those with whom they have excellent diplomatic relations, a mutual understanding on the entry-exit process to their respective countries, and so established these ties pre-pandemic. These includes a variety of nations, beyond those you imply, including: Argentina, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, etc.
All this policy does is permit entry to passport holders of countries which New Zealand has longer-standing ties with, and in turn, provides for a more predictable process for NZ Immigration.
Furthermore, I'm not sure why you equate "dark skinned countries" as being "dirty." How very suggestive.
Excellent point.
@ Sean M.
So, you are basically claiming that the determinant of which countries attain visa waiver status in NZ is racism by the NZ government, are you?
For a point of comparison, NZ lists 57 visa waiver countries, whereas the USA lists 40.
NZ thereby lists 43% more than the US.
Visa waiver programs are generally "reciprocal". The same privileges need to be extended by both countries. They may have other criteria, such as...
@ Sean M.
So, you are basically claiming that the determinant of which countries attain visa waiver status in NZ is racism by the NZ government, are you?
For a point of comparison, NZ lists 57 visa waiver countries, whereas the USA lists 40.
NZ thereby lists 43% more than the US.
Visa waiver programs are generally "reciprocal". The same privileges need to be extended by both countries. They may have other criteria, such as a requirement to share data.
For example, in the case of the USA (quoting the Congressional Research document on the Visa Waiver Program dated 12 October 2021):
"...To qualify for the VWP, a country must offer reciprocal travel privileges to U.S. citizens; have had a nonimmigrant visa refusal rate of less than 3% for the previous year; issue their nationals machine-readable passports that incorporate biometric identifiers; issue tamper-resistant, machine-readable visa documents that incorporate biometric identifiers which are verifiable at the country’s port of entry; report the loss and theft of passports; share specified information regarding nationals of the country who represent a threat to U.S. security; and not compromise the law enforcement or security interests of the United States by its inclusion in the program. Countries can be terminated from the VWP if they fail to meet any of these conditions or otherwise threaten the United States’ security or immigration interests..."
Just which countries are you labelling "dirty dark skinned"?
NZ readers, I'm interested in how the NZ leadership politically walked back "ZERO COVID!!!!!" and convinced the population "Oh, never mind, let's live with it now".
The same as in Australia- the aim was to quickly reduce cases and keep cases as low as possible for as low as possible while the population was vaccinated. Not terribly difficult to understand.
It's not difficult to understand, but here in the US, we have millions of people pointing to every change in government covid policy as evidence of mendacity, arrogance and incompetence, rather than obvious changes in response to the changing nature of the pandemic and the constantly-changing state of knowledge about the disease. If one is predisposed to conspiracy theories, I guess one expects everyone else to be, and is therefore astonished when entire nations (mostly)...
It's not difficult to understand, but here in the US, we have millions of people pointing to every change in government covid policy as evidence of mendacity, arrogance and incompetence, rather than obvious changes in response to the changing nature of the pandemic and the constantly-changing state of knowledge about the disease. If one is predisposed to conspiracy theories, I guess one expects everyone else to be, and is therefore astonished when entire nations (mostly) accept their governments' common-sense public health policies.
@ Never in Doubt
1) vaccines which proved effective at reducing hospitalisation and mortality arising from COVID
2) very high vaccination rates
3) more recent waves of COVID strains (Omicron) less likely to cause hospitalisation and mortality than those driving earlier waves of COVID (Alpha and Delta)
Outcome: NZ COVID deaths 713 and the USA 1.02 million. Factoring in population, the USA has seen 20 times more people die of COVID.
The means...
@ Never in Doubt
1) vaccines which proved effective at reducing hospitalisation and mortality arising from COVID
2) very high vaccination rates
3) more recent waves of COVID strains (Omicron) less likely to cause hospitalisation and mortality than those driving earlier waves of COVID (Alpha and Delta)
Outcome: NZ COVID deaths 713 and the USA 1.02 million. Factoring in population, the USA has seen 20 times more people die of COVID.
The means to control COVID were never complicated to understand. Once successfully implemented, the country can be opened up....;)
@platy
Love it! Short, concise, accurate!
Here in Western Australia, we had essentially zero COVID until February 2022 (we closed our borders not only to the world, but even to the rest of Australia). And then we opened them and let COVID in.
The key was that there was always a clear message from the State government that the measures were temporary until we could vaccinate our population. And it worked - 99% of adults are vaccinated, and as of yesterday,...
Here in Western Australia, we had essentially zero COVID until February 2022 (we closed our borders not only to the world, but even to the rest of Australia). And then we opened them and let COVID in.
The key was that there was always a clear message from the State government that the measures were temporary until we could vaccinate our population. And it worked - 99% of adults are vaccinated, and as of yesterday, despite record case numbers, we had 7 people in the ICU with COVID. That's 7 people across the entire State of 2.5m people.
It's amazing what happens when you don't make vaccination and public health measures into a toxic political football.
Jacinda Ardern believes in and respects science; she understands that a pandemic and vaccines aren’t political. New Zealand is lucky to have such exceptionally smart leaders.
Excited to be able to visit New Zealand again!
$$$cience
Like Trudeau and many others, she is a controlled puppet from Klaus Schwab‘s ‘World Economic Forum’ ‘Young Global Leader’ program.
These marionettes are tasked to push ‘Ze Great Reset’ and ze ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ with the help of ‘ze Great Narrative’ on us.
What does it mean: In short, total digital surveillance and control, modern slavery in the form of China-like social credit scores, universal digital identities and central bank issued digital currencies.
‘You...
Like Trudeau and many others, she is a controlled puppet from Klaus Schwab‘s ‘World Economic Forum’ ‘Young Global Leader’ program.
These marionettes are tasked to push ‘Ze Great Reset’ and ze ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ with the help of ‘ze Great Narrative’ on us.
What does it mean: In short, total digital surveillance and control, modern slavery in the form of China-like social credit scores, universal digital identities and central bank issued digital currencies.
‘You will own nothing, have no privacy, and you will be happy.’
@ Max
Go have some fun, mate, buy yourself some cryptocurrency (one of the originals) and they won't find you.
Better still, invest in some complex derivative products - it's the simplest and most accessible way to destabilise the system - you can use the system to undermine the system. It'll give you the thrill that you're seeking!
Enjoy (whatever it is that you're imbibing).
Hahahaha - good one.
If you "believe in" science, you don't understand science.