The New Zealand Border Is Opening!!!

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After a long two years, travellers around New Zealand (and thousands of Kiwis abroad) are rejoicing – the border is opening (sort of). From the end February New Zealand residents will be able to fly to New Zealand without the need for MIQ, and the rest of the world will soon follow.

But Hasn’t This Been Announced Before?

Yes – it was supposed to start in January, but Omicron put a stop to that. In New Zealand, the whole narrative from the government has been around saving lives. This time it feels different. With an exceptionally high vaccination rate and with most of the population eligible for boosters by the end of February, there was no other political option but to start reconnecting to the world.

Is It Different This Time?

It feels different. It feels like it’s actually going to happen, mostly because of the high vaccination rates. There really is no justification for keeping the borders closed, and families separated any longer.

The Plan

  • Now: New Zealanders can return from anywhere in the world.
  • April 12: Australian citizens can visit New Zealand without quarantine.
  • May 1: Visitors from visa waiver countries our those who already have a valid visa can enter New Zealand.
  • Unknown — Full Border Reopening.

So Tourists Can Come to New Zealand?

It looks like it might finally happen. As someone whose income has been slashed by a lack of tourists into New Zealand, I really hope so. We can’t predict the future, but I reckon there’s a pretty good chance that it’ll actually happen.

The whole justification for closing borders this long was to buy time to get vaccinated and (now) boosted. Certainty is needed now, and with an election in 2023 it’d surely lose them votes if we’re still closed off from the world by the end of 2022.

My Hope for 2022 / 2023

I really hope this is the last summer in New Zealand without tourists. With all the good PR we’ve had these last couple of years, and with a global population keen to throw off the shackles of covid and travel again, I feel like it could be a big summer in 2022 /2023. We need it!

Are you planning on flying to New Zealand? Let me know in the comments below!

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Jon Algie

A travel blogger from New Zealand who hates talking about himself in the third person and has no imagination when it comes to naming websites.

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