The Grounded Kiwis court ruling is a victory for the many Kiwis who wanted to come home and couldn’t because of the lottery of human misery that was the MIQ system, National Party spokesperson for Covid-19 Response Chris Bishop says.

“Justice Mallon has found that the MIQ system did not sufficiently allow individual circumstances to be considered and prioritised where necessary and it operated as an unjustified limit on the right of New Zealand citizens to enter their country.

“The judge has said there were other ways the MIQ system could have worked, such as a points system, as recommended by the National Party.

“It remains a mystery why the government didn’t take this up and instead insisted on a largely one-size-fits-all system that didn’t prioritise people returning home, even those in desperate situations.

“Month after month, New Zealanders were shocked at the extraordinary suffering inflicted on many people because of the MIQ lottery.

“Kiwis were stuck offshore and couldn’t return even when their visa rights expired in the countries they were in

“Pregnant women like journalist Charlotte Bellis were denied MIQ vouchers to enter New Zealand.

“People couldn’t return to be with loved ones in the final stages of their lives.

“We now have judicial confirmation of state sponsored cruelty that was the MIQ lottery.”