“The Government’s decision to yet again cancel the MIQ lottery will be devastating for Kiwis abroad and it’s time for a solution,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“We can’t go on like this, families have been torn apart and businesses can’t get workers. It’s time for some certainty.

“This evening the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said they have postponed the January 20th lottery until “reconnecting New Zealand decisions are made.”

“Why has this taken so long? What has the Government been doing over summer if not preparing for Omicron? Labour seems to have no idea of the anguish it’s causing people trapped offshore.

“ACT was the first party to call for an end to MIQ for Kiwis who are fully vaccinated and test negative to COVID-19. We were proudly there to support the group as they presented the petition to Parliament.

“Jacinda Ardern keeps talking about the team of five million. We’re actually a team of six million, there are a million Kiwis offshore who still call New Zealand home who have no pathway to coming back.

“People want to come home for many reasons. Family reunions, deaths of loved ones, the arrival of new babies, to fill jobs, and just being with family and friends. New Zealand is their home, keeping them locked out and fighting over a tiny number of MIQ spaces is cruel.

“ACT would allow fully vaccinated people who have tested negative to self-isolate. If it’s good enough for COVID positive people to isolate at home, it should be good enough for low-risk people who just want to come home.

“Let’s allow Kiwis to come back to their own country and be a team of six million.”

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