Kiwis in Aussie screwed over

The Herald reports:

New Zealanders stranded in Australia will miss out on booking a spot in MIQ as the next batch of rooms are released tomorrow.

A further 1,250 rooms will be available to book using the online lobby system for people returning to New Zealand in March and April.

The MIQ room release was previously scheduled for December 23 but it was cancelled and moved to Thursday following a government announcement that the length of stay would be extended to 10 days, with no self-isolation component, due to the threat of the Omicron variant.

It’s the first room release since December 16.

But with the Omicron variant delaying the Government’s plan to open a “self-isolation pathway from Australia”, it means citizens in Australia will not be permitted to book a room in an MIQ facility.

“Airlines do not currently have any red flights scheduled from Australia for March or April,” it said on the Manged Isolation and Quarantine website.

“For this reason, those travelling from Australia will not be able to participate in tomorrow’s room release.

Is it beyond the capability of the Government to synchronize flights and room availability? This isn’t rocket science.

The result is that all the Kiwis in Australia wanting to return home get screwed over again.