Chamber boss urges MIQ rethink

The Government should prioritise managed isolation slots for workers looking to return from overseas, Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett says.

It was time Immigration NZ acknowledged the important role of business and allocated MIQ slots for businesses with personnel who are required offshore and then need to return, he said.

In mid-June, the Herald reported only 60 managed isolation quarantine spaces a month are available for overseas construction workers classified as “critical”, which one building boss said was “ridiculous” in a sector short by more than 50,000 workers.

Barnett said yesterday the Government needed to acknowledge that for some Kiwi businesses to maintain local workforces they need to be offshore to maintain order levels and supply chains.

Planning around vaccinating people, especially those who need to travel was also crucial.

“We could use MIQ slots differently and introduce other quarantine options to prioritise movement in and out of the country of those people contributing productively to the economy creating jobs, capabilities, investment and new sectors.

“All they need is to do their bit to keep all of us safe with proof of vaccination plus negative departure and arrival tests,” Barnett said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday that 21,000 New Zealanders had left for Australia since the transtasman bubble opened and had not come back.