Despite thousands of people waiting for a room in MIQ to no avail so they can see their families and get on with their lives, the Olympic team are set to take up almost 500 spaces this August
For most New Zealanders right now, choosing to leave the country means not being able to return until probably early next year.
High demand for a limited stock of MIQ rooms - as well as a shambolic booking system - have effectively put the freeze on Kiwis returning in the next few months.
The New Zealand Olympic team, however, will take up 432 spaces in the close-to-choked MIQ system next month as they return from Tokyo in three waves - arriving on charter flights on August 2, 8 and 10.
According to a spokesperson from MIQ, this is testament to the Government’s pre-planning abilities.
“The Government recognised the importance of enabling Kiwi sportspeople to compete in the Olympic Games, so planned and allocated space in MIQ some time ago for our Olympians’ return from Japan,” they said.
The spots in MIQ will be paid for by Sport New Zealand, which has allocated $4 million from the sport recovery package - $3 million to the New Zealand Olympic Committee and $1 million to Paralympic New Zealand.
“Tokyo will obviously be a Games like no other,” said a Sport New Zealand spokesperson. “There are significant costs related to ensuring our athletes return safely from Tokyo and spend the required time in MIQ.”
However, Kiwis and migrants whose lives are on hold while they wait for a room in the system to become available are less than impressed.
Immigration adviser Katy Armstrong said the Olympic MIQ arrangements add insult to injury for people separated from their families and the New Zealand industries who remain desperately short of workers.
“I think athletes should not be taking up MIQ until every last child has been reunited with its parents,” she said. “In fact, a truly progressive society - which NZ pretends to be - would make family reunification its top priority.”
She said the 432 members of the Olympic team represent two and a half times the number of dairy workers being allowed to come through by special allocation, despite the dairy sector needing at least 2000 workers.
The spokesperson from MIQ said the use of MIQ rooms was a key factor in New Zealand being able to compete in this year’s games.
“Allowing small numbers of sportspeople who are world-class in their field to go through safe managed isolation is the key factor in permitting the country to participate in international-level events in a safe environment that does not expose the community to the spread of Covid-19,” the statement said.
The spokesperson emphasised that the 432 members of the Olympic team coming back through MIQ was a slim percentage of the 152,000 people who have gone through the system.
However, Armstrong believes this comparison is groundless as those 152,000 people came through MIQ over the course of more than a year.
“Telling us it’s a drop in the ocean when using the 152,000 over 16 months figure is spin,” she said.
Armstrong questions why more effort hasn’t been put into finding an alternative solution to get the athletes back into the country without holding up the system.
“I feel sorry for these athletes but needs over wants,” she said. “The Air New Zealand crew don't have to go into MIQ - why can't an alternative for athletes be found?”
She suggested options like off-shore isolation, or rigorous testing and isolation managed by Sport New Zealand.
“If we want this sort of goings-on, we have to find a better way that doesn't put athletes and entertainers and rich folk ahead of serious humanitarian cases and long-term skills drains,” she said.
New Zealand Olympic Committee communications director Ashley Abbott said the committee worked with Sport New Zealand to lock down the rooms for the Olympic team.
“Our athletes understand how privileged they are to be able to return from Tokyo into MIQ and are doing all they can to make their country proud at the Olympic Games,” she said.
United States-based New Zealander Sam Drew, who has been unsuccessful in attempts to get back to see his family for the first time in two years, said he wasn’t surprised by those comments.
“It's clear the Government is keeping spots preferentially for sportspeople,” he said. “Lots of Kiwis are world class in their respective fields that live abroad, so the key question is why do they get priority? It is a simple ethical question.”
He argues the more relevant figure for the Government to talk about is 485 out of the MIQ availability on any given day, instead of comparing it to the total number of people who have gone through the system.
The Sport New Zealand spokesperson said the organisation wanted New Zealand athletes to realise their potential at these Olympic Games, “despite all the challenges Covid-19 has thrown their way. We also need to make sure they get home safely.”
