A woman in managed self-isolation has been granted an exemption to see her dying mother.
After being twice denied an exemption from the Ministry of Health - Renee West has been successful on her third application.
She and her two sons rushed home from Australia, after fears she might never see her cancer-stricken mother again.
They've been waiting in an Auckland hotel ever since.
West told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan she's "overwhelmed, so excited, so relieved".
She said she can leave the hotel after being tested for Covid-19, which she believes will be tomorrow morning.
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West and her two sons flew to Auckland from Melbourne in late April were in managed self-isolation at M Social Hotel in Auckland.
Her initial application for an exception was not approved.
"My 59-year-old mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has been given two to three weeks left to live by her doctor," West told the Herald at the time.
"I am scared we won't get to her in time to say our goodbyes. It just seems so heartless."
West and her husband are New Zealanders and moved to Melbourne about nine years ago.
"I haven't seen mum for about three years. I am struggling with the fact I may not get to see my mother who is my best friend, and not sure how I am meant to deal with this," she said.
The family were meant to come over for a two-week holiday in April, but the coronavirus outbreak made that impossible.
Her mother, Lesley Haughey, had breast cancer and a mastectomy 11 years ago.
"Sadly, in the last couple of weeks, my sister and father, who live in Stratford, Taranaki, with my mum, noticed she wasn't herself and she was struggling to use the left side of her body, so my sister called an ambulance which took her to Wanganui hospital for tests as they thought she had a mild stroke and had a brain bleed," West said.
"It turned out she had lung and brain cancer and it had spread to all her vital organs ... now she is completely riddled with it and treatment isn't an option."
West described her mum as the most caring and thoughtful person anyone could ever meet.
"She always puts others first and is always there for anyone in need. She is never one to ask for anything in return," West added.
"Mum didn't even tell us she was unwell at the start as she doesn't want anyone to worry about her."
A Health Ministry spokesperson said an update on the total number of exemptions on compassionate grounds can be expected tomorrow.
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