At 8am on Monday the new MIQ ‘lobby’ system will open its virtual doors with 3000 spots on offer.
New Zealanders stuck overseas will have one hour to get in, where they’ll be put in a randomised queue and given a spot when they reach the front.
Martin Newell, spokesperson for the Grounded Kiwis group which advocates for a fairer MIQ system, said lifting the pause was a good start.
But he said the timing might be off for some New Zealanders overseas.
“It’s not a great time for people that are, say, in the Middle East or in Asia, and it might not be a great time for somebody that is working on an oil rig.
“It’s not accessible to everyone all over the globe.
“So we’d like to see more visibility of how they plan to time and release rooms in the future.”
About 4000 rooms at a time will be released on a fortnightly basis.
People overseas who need to travel urgently can still apply for an emergency…