Pregnancy plea to let parents into NZ

Lauren Payne always thought her mum would be nearby and supporting her when she had her first baby.

She was going to be her safety net as she negotiated motherhood for the first time.

But the Invercargill woman, who is due early this month, now knows that won’t happen, and she’s struggling mentally as a result.

Payne was born and raised in Australia but has been living with her Kiwi partner in New Zealand for eight years, owns a home and business here, and is a permanent New Zealand resident.

In October, her Australian parents, Geoffrey and Julie, applied to Immigration New Zealand to travel to New Zealand, so they could support their daughter before and after the birth of her child, then settle in this country long term.

However, their application was declined given the New Zealand borders remained closed to most travellers, except New Zealand citizens and residents and their partners and dependent children.

There are currently no border exceptions for the overseas-based parents of adult children in New Zealand.

Given this, Payne’s parents applied to enter the country under humanitarian grounds, but their request was denied.

Their daughter, who said her story of needing her parents in New Zealand was similar to hundreds of others, had since started an online petition asking that overseas-based parents of adult children be put on the list of family members allowed to enter the country.

At least one other petition had also been launched.

‘‘No matter how old we get, we still need our parents. If I am not coping I want my mum here.

‘‘She was my safety net for becoming a new mum and it’s kind of fallen to pieces,’’ Payne said.

The Government’s staged immigration plan meant her parents wouldn’t be able to arrive until April 30 onwards, when all fully vaccinated foreign nationals could enter the country.

‘‘I understand Kiwis need to come back first, but can we at least have a spot for our parents ahead of the snowboarders who want to come over in May, because that’s where they have been put.’’

Australia had last month included overseas-based parents of adult children onto its list of immediate family members eligible to enter its country, and she believed it was ‘‘ridiculous’’ New Zealand had not.

Jock Gilray, acting general manager of border and visa operations at Immigration New Zealand, said the pandemic had resulted in unprecedented challenges for the immigration system.

Entry into New Zealand from all countries remained controlled to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

When considering whether a person had humanitarian reasons for travelling to New Zealand, immigration officers had to consider whether there were exceptional circumstances.

Individuals had to meet strict criteria to be granted exceptions and the bar was set high, he said.

‘‘Immigration New Zealand has no ability to apply discretion when considering requests for border exceptions.’’

He confirmed the border remained closed to most travellers, with exceptions including New Zealand citizens and residents and their partners and dependent children, and to those with a critical purpose to travel who were granted exceptions.