Two years after New Zealand first implemented border restrictions in response to Covid-19, the country plans a gradual reopening with new entry rules coming into effect next month.
Vaccinated New Zealanders in Australia can travel home from February 27 without having to book a stay in state-managed quarantine facilities.
This will be the first of five stages of gradual border reopening, with citizens from all around the world able to return two weeks later. Most tourists will have to wait until October to be allowed entry, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday.
As one of the world’s most closed off countries, New Zealand has recorded only 53 deaths from Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
But the country has faced criticism with many Kiwis effectively locked out of their own country. Now, as part of plans to live with the virus, a very gradual reopening of borders is set to commence.
Who can travel to New Zealand?
The border is currently closed to almost all travellers to help stop the spread of Covid-19.
Most people cannot go to New Zealand and many citizens who have been outside the country for nearly two years are desperate to get back, but face managed isolation and quarantine if they do so.
A limited number of travellers from the Pacific Islands of Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Vanuatu can travel to New Zealand, but only if they meet certain requirements.
Initial plans to ease border restrictions in January 2022 were pushed back to the end of this month because of concerns about the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
When will New Zealand's borders open?
The gradual reopening of the borders will start on February 27, when fully-vaccinated New Zealanders in the country will be able to travel freely to and from Australia.
On March 13, citizens will be able to return home quarantine-free, alongside some vaccinated skilled workers and backpackers.
In April, the country will welcome back more non-citizens with visas, such as international students.
Tourists will have to wait a little longer to explore the country’s deep valleys and crystal lakes. By July, non-citizens from visa-waiver countries – including Australia, the US and the UK – can travel if they are vaccinated. This could also happen before July said the prime minister on Thursday.
The rest of the world will be able to visit New Zealand from October, when border restrictions are set to be lifted and travellers can visit for tourism purposes with normal visa processing resuming.
Do you need to be vaccinated to travel to New Zealand?
Yes, you need to be fully vaccinated if you are a foreigner travelling to New Zealand.
Only those who have received a complete dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before arriving in the country will be allowed entry. A total of 33 vaccines approved by a government or approval authority are recognised for travel.
Citizens will be able to return without being vaccinated, but will enter mandatory state quarantine, alongside any high-risk travellers.
Air New Zealand and Qantas, two major airlines serving the country, have announced they will only allow vaccinated passengers on flights, or those with a genuine exemption. Children under 17 do not need to be vaccinated.
Will I need a negative PCR test to travel to New Zealand?
Negative pre-departure tests will be required for travellers. These must be taken no more than 42 hours before travelling.
On arrival in the country, travellers will be issued with three rapid antigen tests to be used for follow-up testing. Any positive test results will require a follow-up PCR test.
Will I need to quarantine if I travel to New Zealand?
Despite strict managed quarantine policies in place at the moment, New Zealand's reopening plans are all about quarantine-free travel.
However, travellers still have to self-isolate for 10 days, said Ardern on Thursday. This may be reduced to seven days in the future and will align with New Zealand’s system for managing close contacts of Covid cases.
Home isolation rules have been criticised by those in New Zealand's travel and tourism industry, who believe they will hamper international tourism.
Kevin Ward, chief executive of NZ Airports Association, said on Thursday: “We are really pleased for Kiwis who have been stuck overseas and want to return home, however the continuing requirement for self-isolation means New Zealand will remain essentially off the map for international travellers and many airlines. People do not want to fly to New Zealand if they have to spend their first week sitting in a hotel.”
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
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• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
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• Jody Waters, 65
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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