Shift safely reconnecting us to world
I’m sure many of you here in the Tukituki electorate will have heard by now that our border settings will be changing very soon and, over the coming months, all New Zealanders and key visa holders will be able to start entering the country without going into MIQ.
This is a big shift, but it’s one we’re ready for.
More than 94 per cent of our over18s are fully vaccinated and 92 per cent will be eligible for a booster by the end of February.
With such high protection, it’s time to shift gears to focus on our recovery.
Reconnecting with the world will help to strengthen our economy, address worker shortages, and reunite whā nau. This will take place in five stages, as different groups of people become eligible to self-isolate on arrival rather than going into MIQ.
Firstly, from 11.59pm on February 27, fully vaccinated Kiwis and other currently eligible travellers from Australia will be able to travel to Aotearoa without entering MIQ.
Two weeks later, from 11.59pm on March 13, fully vaccinated Kiwis and other currently eligible travellers elsewhere, as well as several categories of workers and their family members, will be able to do so.
For further details on this and on the next steps in the plan, visit covid19.govt.nz.
Travellers will be asked to follow broadly the same self-isolation requirements we have for close contacts inside New Zealand — currently, seven days.
On arrival, they’ll receive rapid antigen tests to use during their isolation period.
Meanwhile, MIQ will remain in place for unvaccinated travellers.
Over the past two years, MIQ has been a crucial part of our Covid response. It has helped us save lives and livelihoods, leaving us with some of the lowest rates of hospitalisations and deaths in the OECD, a strongerthan-expected GDP, and historically low unemployment.
It’s also given us time to become one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world and, now, to get boosted. This is important, as we know it’s the booster that is making a real difference against Omicron.
If you’re 18 and over and had your second dose at least three months ago, you can now get your booster.
I encourage you to do so as soon as possible, and I thank all of you in the electorate who have already stepped up for this extra protection.
While some of you will be excited at the prospect of reconnecting with loved ones, I know others will be a little anxious. Our careful, phased approach — alongside our high vaccination rates and the safeguards of the traffic light system — will reduce the risk of a surge of cases, enabling Kiwis to return and skilled workers to enter while protecting people and our health system.
This reconnection plan is a key part of our work to secure a recovery that will leave New Zealand stronger than it was before the pandemic.
We are in a new phase of our Covid response — moving forward together, safely.