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OPINION: I am one of the lucky ones. I came to New Zealand in October 2019, oblivious, like everyone else, to what awaited us. In 2020, as Covid-19 shook Europe and made life better in Ireland, I felt safe here, in a far corner of the world.
When the coronavirus inevitably hit the shores of New Zealand, and it was time to shut it down, I did so willingly with the kiwis around me. I felt the same sadness when I heard the daily death toll, and I experienced the same anxiety when the cases were increasing. I also had the same sense of solidarity. I stood at the end of the driveway for the dawn vigil broadcast on ANZAC day.
On my daily walks of confinement in Christchurch, I noticed the smiles of encouragement from people to each other. The “hello” from mothers pushing strollers, or children walking dogs symbolized a communal form of optimism. I even wrote an article for the Irish Times, Ireland’s national newspaper, expressing my gratitude for living in a country that “flourished with goodness.” I felt valued and included.
I rejoiced along with everyone else when New Zealand emerged from the cocoon of confinement like a butterfly, relatively unscathed compared to the rest of the world. I traveled for a time as a tourist, enjoying newfound freedom, and then settled into a new seasonal role.
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Meanwhile, things at home in Ireland were (and still seem) pretty dire. Several of my friends spoke of the cost of self-isolation to mental health. Jobs were being lost, in line with the global economic recession. Ireland, a country with a population similar to New Zealand, has already suffered more than 1,800 deaths.
Conversations with my parents during the pandemic have always had a clear message: “stay there.” When I told my friends back home that I was going to try to stay in New Zealand, they also shared my parents’ feelings; “There is nothing for you here right now.”
I soon found an option that seemed destined to work: the International Exchange Program (IEP) visa, which I purchased through BUNAC, a UK-based company.
You can usually only apply for this visa abroad, but with New Zealand’s borders closed, this rule supposedly didn’t apply. Having friends who successfully received the visa through BUNAC, I paid in full, assuring myself that there was little chance that my application would not be successful.
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“It may not be the visa I had applied for, but I am very happy that the basic principles of Kiwi goodness and practicality have prevailed in INZ’s decision making.”
I went to work collecting the necessary documents, made sure my place was secure but that my application could not be submitted to immigration until I had all of these together.
I shell out $ 1595 NZD for the visa, $ 495 for a comprehensive medical exam, and the equivalent of $ 500 for mandatory (and non-refundable) health insurance for the year. It is arguably a large sum to invest in a visa, but New Zealand is worth it.
Then disaster struck. STA Travel, of which IEP is a subsidiary, entered voluntary administration on August 24. I found out about this through a Facebook page created for backpackers in New Zealand. What did this mean for our visas? It was very unclear, with little communication from BUNAC or IEP.
I waited, along with hundreds of others, for an update. Visa deadlines were imminent and a feeling of unease was growing. Many people kept a shred of hope that BUNAC could solve something; Sporadic emails assured us that they were “working with Immigration New
Zealand and another cultural exchange company in New Zealand, to try to find an alternative arrangement, “but it seemed highly unlikely that this would happen.
RNZ
People in controlled isolation are calling for an end to the flood of take-out containers, bottles and cutlery that are sent from their hotels to landfills every week. Trash is not recycled from the country’s 32 border facilities, to reduce waste management and the possible spread of Covid-19.
And if it did, when? All the email said was “unfortunately, we don’t have time scales on when we might have a solution.”
On September 16, I received an email from BUNAC with bad news; “Despite presenting viable alternatives that allowed the continuation of this program, Immigration New Zealand made the final decision not to continue with the IEP visa program.”
Those in my position had two main options at this stage; stay on a visitor visa or fly home. In fact, when I first wrote this article, I was mentally preparing for the nearly 30-hour flight, passing through at least three international airports, as well as a two-week quarantine on arrival.
(unlike here, it is up to you to make your own arrangements for this).
However, INZ has now given many of us a lifeline. With knowledge of an impending shortage of workers in the horticulture and viticulture industries, those with working holiday visas that expire from now until the end of June (including mine) have automatically obtained SSE.
Visas (seasonal supplementary employment), which allow us to work in these areas.
This is a blessing to many people, although I am sorry for those whose visas expired just before October, who slipped through the cracks.
It may not be the visa I applied for, but I am very happy that the Kiwi basics of friendliness and practicality have prevailed in INZ’s decision making. This election means that I, and many others, no longer face an imminent deadline; a forced return to a home that is but a shadow of what we left behind.
In fact, I write this from an orchard in Cromwell, my new home and workplace; delighted to serve New Zealand apricots for a chance to stay in this country.
