OPINION: I think of home often. I read the news, speak to friends who live in Auckland and Wellington, touch base with my sister in Christchurch and reach out to the small number of charities I donate to monthly.

I am just another Canada-based Kiwi with roots that cross multiple oceans in an attempt to remain grounded in New Zealand. I still dream of Wanaka and beg for photos from any friend or foe that travels outside of our big cities.

I am like the tree that stretches for heaven, never quite reaching it, and having to accept that the earth and air is enough to sustain me.

You are my air and earth, New Zealand. I miss you.

I long for you even more these days. Not because of Covid-19, but what we are doing to our people in the name of Covid. You are further from what you are than you have ever been before. Make no mistake, my love, immigrants are your people.

Read that again.

They are not papers, but people. If you define people by their status, whatever that status may be, you are no different to those politicians that have put horrible policies in place during the last century in the name of something, anything, nothing.

Immigration New Zealand smells of nothing learned from other crises, nor other countries' dirty hands, nor other groups of people's exclusions in the name of this-is-all-new-to-me-so-if-I-mistake-and-break-families-up-then-that-is-a-reasonable-cost-for-my-lack-of-understanding.

Actually, Immigration New Zealand smells of America. Would you like to supersize that with your order of common sense, sir?

It is not acceptable to determine the worth of a person based on a permit she holds in her purse.

We do not accept your future apology.

After Covid, hundreds of documentaries will be made on the impact of Covid-19 on the Government's power to make makeshift policies and break broken people.

One day, a documentary will cover New Zealand. One day, all the immigrants that you legally allowed into this country, and then left to weep, beg, barter and pay to play in your lottery of who looks the least bit immigrant and who has the most money, will have a say in this documentary.

And no, we will not accept your apology, we will not accept your excuses, but we will accept your resignation and then allow you to contact the best legal representation you can find — because you'll need it.

No ma'am, we will not foot the bill for your lawyers either.

Not too long ago, Jacinda, did the government you represent treat Māori like immigrants, like people who have no right to call this home, but rather just happen to live here; and they were forced to accept your apology. That was the last apology we will ever accept.

Do not come to us begging for forgiveness when Kiwis learn what you did and didn't do for those who call New Zealand home. Our tallest-poppy syndrome will quickly turn to a wickedest-politician syndrome.

Covid requires caution, controls and risk-mitigating policies, but not at the absolute cost of common sense.

When I read an article about an immigrant woman who hasn't seen her baby in almost two years because Immigration New Zealand deems children being raised by persons other than their parents acceptable, I start to wonder if Covid is code for colonisation.

Do you remember when we kept children away from their parents in the name of colonisation? If you don't, ask any Māori family.

We do not accept your future apology. We demand action. Now.

Let those actions make news here in Canada, instead of having to hear another horror story about Immigration New Zealand and how they allowed characters from a children's show into their country, but not the woman from South Africa who is waiting for your department to decide whether being a mother is a true necessity to her children.

If you would like to barter with our people's lives, you should start by bartering your own. Send your child away and have her only come home when the last immigrant family's child is finally reunited with their parents in New Zealand.

I would strongly advise you to accept not seeing your child for the next three years at the rate you are going. We challenge you to live without your child for two years, Jacinda. 

Oh, one more thing. As a lawyer I would usually charge for this advice, but you are experiencing extenuating circumstances yourself and so I shall provide this to you for free.

Common sense, as part of the application of extenuating circumstances by Immigration New Zealand, should be defined as ‘the position of a person whereby not being allowed back into New Zealand would remove an element of life from that person’.

A terminally ill man dying overseas wants to come home and spend it with his family. Yes, that is extenuating circumstances for you are removing an element of life from him. Family.

A mother whose baby was on holiday with his grandparents when Covid happened hasn't been allowed to bring him back home to New Zealand.

That is extenuating circumstances for that child because you have removed an element of life from him. His mother's love.

How many more examples do you need before you will realise that you are here to protect all people, not just some of your policies and ministers?

I miss you, New Zealand.

Source: Stuff, Lawyer Candice Matthews is a Kiwi living in Canada.