New Zealand welcomes international visitors after two years with Maori songs and tearful embraces

New Zealand is now allowing vaccinated visitors from 60 countries, and says they won’t have to isolate as long as they test negative on arrival. Namita Singh reports

Families embrace after a flight from Los Angeles arrived at Auckland International Airport, as New Zealand’s border opened for visa-waiver countries Monday, 2 May 2022 (AP)

On Monday New Zealand welcomed thousands of international tourists from around the world as it opened its borders to visitors for the first time since the pandemic started.

The international arrivals in Auckland were greeted with Maori songs and dancing, and handed popular local chocolate bars, as the first flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco landed in the city.

Heartwarming scenes played out at the airport’s arrivals gate as travellers were reunited with their loved ones after two years of separation. Among them were Garth and Chris Halliday, who were in tears when they met their son Stephen, his wife and their grandson after a year and a half.

Likening the scenes at the airport to the rom-com Love Actually, Garth Halliday told New Zealand news site Stuff it made him happy to see so many families reunited, and Stephen said it was an “emotional” experience after such a long period apart.

“It’s really nice to hear the music and feel welcomed back,” Maeve Long, who had flown in from London, said. Another international traveller, David Benson, told BBC News that he came from Cincinnati to be with his partner and had been waiting for his visa since February 2020.

Families embrace after a flight from Los Angeles arrived at Auckland International Airport as New Zealand’s border opened for visa-waiver countries Monday, 2 May 2022 (AP)

"I’m finally here today. I’ve never been within 6,000 miles of this country and my first time here. I’m home. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had.”

Tourism minister Stuart Nash said that “today is a day to celebrate, and is a big moment in our reconnection with the world”. He added that while the country is not back to total normalcy, the borders reopening is a step towards it. “This has been a long time [coming] – this sends a signal we are now open for business … it is fantastic to see,” he told the Guardian.

With its breathtaking scenery and adventure tourism industry, New Zealand has been hard-hit by the lack of visitors during the pandemic. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern recently said she stood by the decision to enforce such a long and strict lockdown, even if it hurt her popularity ratings. New Zealand has reported around 940,000 cases and 757 Covid deaths since the pandemic began.

Ms Ardern began easing many of the country’s measures this year, opening the borders first to New Zealanders and Australians in February and March.

The country has now done away with more entry restrictions, though not all, by allowing visitors from 60 countries with existing visa-waiver agreements with New Zealand. These include the US, the UK and Singapore, as long as the travellers are vaccinated and test negative for Covid on arrival. Those who do so will not be required to isolate.

Tourists from India, China and other non-waiver countries are still not allowed to visit the country, with restrictions expected to remain in place for those countries until October.

At least 43 international flights were scheduled to arrive or depart from Auckland International Airport on Monday, carrying about 9,000 passengers.

More than 90,000 people booked flights to New Zealand in the seven weeks since the country announced its reopening, Ms Ardern said.

“Our tourism industry has felt the effects of the global pandemic acutely and are working hard to prepare,” Ms Ardern said, adding that the country has no immediate plans to ease testing and vaccination requirements for tourists.

Before the spread of Covid, New Zealand welcomed more than 3 million tourists every year, accounting for 20 per cent of its foreign income.

The decision to open up has come with the acceptance that a policy of “zero Covid”, enforced through rigorous test-and-trace programmes, became unsustainable with the spread of the highly infectious Delta and then Omicron variants. Ms Ardern announced in October last year that the strategy of completely keeping out or eradicating Covid would be “phased out”, and subsequently began easing restrictions once around 80 per cent of the country’s five million population were fully vaccinated.