[ad_1]
Supplied
Eddie Jarman, 14, was run over and killed in August while snorkeling near his family’s yacht in French Polynesia.
This story was originally posted on RNZ.co.nz and is being republished with permission.
Jacinda Ardern appears to have heard a call from a grieving family to show some kindness and allow them to sail to New Zealand after her son was fatally wounded in Tahiti.
Eddie Jarman, 14, was run over and killed in August while snorkeling near his family’s yacht in French Polynesia.
The family of four from England was sailing the world when the tragedy struck. New Zealand was always their final destination and they were prepared to wait for the pandemic to pass.
READ MORE:
* Covid-19: Peru opens Machu Picchu for a single tourist who has been stranded for seven months
* Covid-19: Kiwi yacht family desperately seeking refuge in New Zealand
* Coronavirus: Stranded in Paradise – Hundreds of Sailors Trapped in the Pacific
Yet since the death of their son, they are desperate to get here, sell their boat, and go home, so they can cry and try to get their lives back.
Authorities rejected the initial request of Eddie’s parents, Barbara Genda and Harry Jarman, for a humanitarian border waiver, because the couple have already managed to repatriate their son’s body.
Genda said Control It has been just over 10 weeks since the death of your son and it has never been easier.
Supplied
Now it was difficult for the family to be on the boat with reminders of their son everywhere.
“We are trying to make sense of a new normal, but that will take a long time, but also dealing with the uncertainty right now, he is trying to adapt, trying to make new plans and all of that is obviously a challenge for us. Before the accident we knew that the challenges were there, the uncertainty of Covid and the borders was there, but we were as a unit, we were a family, and we could face much more.
“Now, being saddened and burdened with pain, many things are much more difficult and more challenging.”
Genda said that even before the accident they had decided to sell the boat and chose a New Zealand-based agent to do so.
He said they realized it wouldn’t be a quick sale, but they thought New Zealand would be the best place to sell it, and they expected a relaxation of Covid rules around October or November.
Supplied
The family of four from England was sailing the world when the tragedy struck. New Zealand was always their final destination and they were prepared to wait for the pandemic to pass.
But she said it was not urgent before the accident and they agreed that they may have to wait until next year before they can come to New Zealand.
But now it was difficult to be on the boat with reminders of her son everywhere, Genda said.
She said they want to go back to the UK for their daughter as it would be better if she went back to school there
Jarman said they have been told by New Zealand authorities that if they want to go back to the UK they can fly back there directly, but said they sold their house to buy the boat, which is their main asset, and they can’t just leave it in Polynesia. French. during a cyclone season.
Genda said there are currently between 300 and 400 boats moored in French Polynesia whose owners face a similar situation, and they have to keep the boat because it is their home and it would not be safe if they weren’t on board.
Since then, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has asked the Health Ministry to review that decision.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said it was analyzing the case as a matter of urgency.
“We are still finalizing what other options, if any, might be available to the family,” he said.
The ministry does not provide further details.
But Genda said the agent handling the sale of the ship has told his officials that they will allow them to apply under a rule that allows the products to be delivered to New Zealand companies.
This story was originally posted on RNZ.co.nz and is being republished with permission.
