Last remaining MIQ facilities to close

"We are currently still operating 3 facilities for refugees, returnees from Afghanistan and a small number of community cases. However, from the end of June no new arrivals at the border are expected to enter MIQ", said Head of MIQ Andrew Milne.

MIQ has been responsible for stopping more than 4,600 cases of COVID at the border – where just 1 case in the community would have compromised our collective efforts to eliminate the virus while we got vaccinated. 

"2 years after it started, the MIQ workforce has helped almost 230,000 travellers – more than the population of Wellington – return home and cared for nearly 5000 community cases.

"At its height, MIQ operated 32 facilities involving more than 4,000 workers at any one time: Defence Force personnel, doctors and nurses, hotel employees, aviation security, police, bus drivers, tradespeople, private security workers, and government workers across multiple ministries.

Extraordinary people working at the front line to keep New Zealand safe. It was an operation unlike anything New Zealand had seen before.

"I would like to thank the management and staff at all our facilities for their professionalism, care, and attention in looking after returnees and community cases."

The last facilities are located in the Holiday Inn, Jet Park and Waipuna hotels in Auckland. A 4th facility, in Christchurch, was closed earlier in June.