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Trev Ponting greets his mother at Christchurch International Airport.
New Zealander Trev Ponting, whose managed isolation and quarantine emergency enforcement fiasco made headlines, has reunited with his family after arriving in Christchurch.
Ponting, 46, who has terminal brain cancer, wanted to travel back from Japan to New Zealand to see his parents in late January.
His request for an emergency location in controlled isolation and quarantine was initially rejected by officials, on the same day that the government awarded MIQ places to Australian child artists, The Wiggles.
Officials later reversed the decision on Ponting’s request, less than 24 hours later. Things highlighted their plight.
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On Sunday, Ponting, along with his wife Aiko and their two children, landed in Christchurch after completing two weeks of MIQ in Auckland.
“[We] we rented a limo bus, our friends organized it, and we were all able to pick it up together and then everyone sat together on the bus to drive home, which was very special, ”said Ponting’s sister, Yvonne Ponting. Things.
Seeing Ponting again at the Christchurch airport was “extremely emotional,” Yvonne said, especially as she hugged her mother.
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Trev Ponting has reunited with his parents in New Zealand after overcoming controlled isolation and quarantine.
“Having him physically there and being able to get our hands on him was pretty surreal actually, at the time.”
Ponting is now staying home with Yvonne. She said his mobility was limited and that he struggled with short-term memory, but that he was fine.
Ponting will have an oncology appointment next week, which should give the family a better idea of how much time he has left.
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Ponting’s family is now in New Zealand after spending two weeks on MIQ.
The latest estimate came from his Japanese doctors in January, who said he had months to live.
“That weighs heavily on the back of our minds,” Yvonne said.
Many of Ponting’s friends who live in New Zealand have come to visit him since he returned.
“He is lovely, he loves to see his classmates, his mom, my dad and me … and the whole family that has been there constantly,” Yvonne said.
ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
Health Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed that he was not involved in the decision to grant Trev Ponting and his family an emergency location at MIQ.
“He seems to really enjoy being with us.”
Yvonne said songs kept popping up in Ponting’s mind, including the 1967 Beatles song With A Little Help From My Friends.
Ponting’s wife and two children traveled with him to New Zealand on visitor visas, but they intend to apply for temporary residence.
“It all takes a lot of time and a lot of paperwork,” Yvonne said. “As wonderful as it is to have them here and to be with them, many [time is] spent running and trying to fix things. “
“It’s not quite ‘relax and enjoy’ yet.”
Since the revocation of Ponting’s MIQ emergency request, Health Minister Chris Hipkins and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have confirmed that they were not involved in the decision.
Most requests for emergency MIQ locations are denied.
Between October 30 and January 24, 1,642 requests for emergency assignments were submitted, of which 609 were approved.
One hundred and fifty rooms are available per fortnight for those who need to travel urgently.
