You may travel to NZ if you have a critical purpose or reasons to travel. There are 13 critical purposes identified by the NZ government. In this article, we will be focussing on three purposes.
1. Partners and dependent children of temporary visa holders who are outside of NZ and who do not hold a visa may be eligible to travel to NZ if:
· The partner and dependent children who held a visa for NZ but were unable to join their partner or parent in NZ before the border closed; OR
· Partners and dependent children of workers employed in critical health services; OR
· Partners and dependent children of highly-skilled workers.
2. Critical health workers. You must be offered a health or disability worker role needed to deliver critical health services in NZ. They can be:
a. NZ registered health practitioners (Registered Nurse, Medical doctors, etc)
b. internationally qualified nurses who:
i. are invited to come to New Zealand by the Nursing Council of New Zealand, and
ii. are enrolled in a Competence Assessment Programme
c. a worker that installs, operates or maintains medical equipment
d. paramedics and ambulance workers (including air and road)
e. technical and support staff working in:
i. theatre
ii. laboratory
iii. radiology
iv. pharmacy services
v. cardiology blood service
vi. nuclear medicine
vii. oncology
viii. haematology
ix. pathology
x. hyperbaric medicine
xi. mortuary
xii. research staff
f. workers delivering mental health and addictions services, aged care, respite, home care and support, child health, palliative and hospice care, forensic health, and disability support,
g. Physician Associates.
Critical health and disability workers may work in:
· a District Health Board
· the New Zealand Blood Service
· a hospice or palliative care
· a primary care practice such as urgent care or a medical or healthcare centre
· an aged residential care, respite or continuing care facility, including care in a person’s home or community facility
· a government or Non-Government Organisation delivering health and disability services
· organisations that provide, operate and maintain medical equipment
· private employers delivering health and disability services.
3. Other critical workers. Only employers or a supporting agency can make a request bring workers into NZ. Requests from individuals will not be considered