Petition calling for fairer managed isolation attracts nearly 23,000 signatures

Monday, 4 October 2021

New Zealand's virtual lobby was seen as a fairer way to allow New Zealanders home. It had its detractors (Video first published in September 2021).

A petition urging the Government to create a fairer managed isolation system has been signed by tens of thousands of New Zealanders.

It comes as the third round of the “virtual lobby” for hotly-contested MIQ rooms opens on Tuesday.

The petition, launched in August by the Grounded Kiwis group, called for an increase to managed isolation capacity, alternatives to the 14-day MIQ for fully vaccinated travellers, and a “more equitable system”.

It attracted 22,888 signatures before it closed.

“The sizeable number of signatures on this petition proves just how much support there is to fix the broken MIQ system,” petition organiser Alexandra Birt said in a statement.

In the second round of the virtual lobby, 31,319 people vied for 3718 available MIQ spots and 6,1231 people were successful in securing one of these bookings.

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Grounded Kiwis volunteer and MIQ petition organiser Alexandra Birt, a lawyer based in London, says the lottery system is causing distress for people trying to head home.

Many New Zealanders stuck and home or abroad were experiencing “real hardship”.

Birt said supply had fallen well short of demand, and many Kiwis were “stuck in limbo, without jobs, permanent accommodation, unable to farewell loved ones, and remaining separated from children, partners and parents”.

A Kiwi stranded in Queensland due to the lack of MIQ spots says she should be able to self-isolate in her own home.

Following a pause on MIQ bookings, the Government launched a virtual lobby system in September designed to address inequities created by bots and automated scripts.

At the time Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said: “Everybody who enters the lobby during [the specified] time will have an equal chance of getting an invitation to book.”

But many people missed out on the two rounds of rooms released last month.

In the second round, 31,319 people vied for 3718 available spots and 6231 people were successful in securing one of these bookings.

The next lobby is scheduled for 12pm on Tuesday.

The Government is trialling a scheme where a small number of business travellers will isolate at home after returning from overseas.

Birt said entering a lottery to return home was distressing, and there was no waitlist or transparency over how long was needed to get a spot.

“As Kiwis we pride ourselves on being kind and fair, but this system is neither.

“It is a system based on luck, and what is being gambled with is people’s lives.”

Birt said Grounded Kiwis was urging the Government to ensure limitations on New Zealanders’ rights are reasonable, proportionate and justified, and met the country’s obligations under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

The petition has closed and will be presented to parliament in the coming weeks, to be considered by a select committee.

In a statement, joint head of MIQ Megan Main said not appropriate for a government agency to comment on a petition to Parliament.

But she said 175,000 people had been brought back to New Zealand, and there were still several thousand vouchers that would be released through to the end of the year.

Main said the new lobby system made improvements to the previous system: it allowed rooms to be released in advance, addressed speed advantages and removed the need to regularly refresh the website.

“It is not a silver bullet – it will not fix the issue of supply and demand.

“We understand people want to enter MIQ on a date of their choosing, but we have to ensure arrivals in New Zealand occur in a safe, managed way.”