Izaura Oliveira Sarmento, 28, desperately wants to see her friends and family again when the borders reopen. Photo / Supplied
Izaura Oliveira Sarmento, 28, desperately wants to see her friends and family again when the borders reopen. Photo / Supplied
International students have had it tough over the past two years. Many have been separated from their families and friends and have watched from afar as their home countries struggle with rocketing cases of Covid-19.
Now a group of those students is calling for Kiwis to get their jabs to help protect each other from the virus and hasten the day when our borders can reopen.
They're encouraging as many people as possible to head out tomorrow for Super Saturday - a nationwide event aiming to get as many people vaccinated as possible.
Free food and prizes like free rugby tickets are being rolled out in the drive for a record-beating 100,000 people to get their jabs.
Pre-pandemic, the international education industry was New Zealand's fifth-largest export, worth close to $5 billion to the economy. It also supported around 45,000 jobs across the country, according to a Cabinet paper from 2020.
The number of international students in the country has plunged, but for those who remain it's a waiting game until the borders reopen.
Matthew Le, 21, is in his final year of a marketing degree at the University of Auckland. He lives with his sister and hasn't seen his parents in Vietnam in more than two years.
Le was vaccinated before the lockdown started, while his parents were still going through the ordeal of trying to get their shots in Vietnam. They had to know the right people and pay money to eventually get the Moderna vaccine, Le said, adding he was "immensely privileged to be in New Zealand".
Matthew Le, 21, says he's incredibly privileged to be in New Zealand where the Pfizer vaccine is freely available. Photo / Supplied
The situation is "horrible" back home, with cases still up in the thousands every day, but they are improving as the vaccine becomes more widespread.
"New Zealand has given me so much in the past five years I've been here - [getting vaccinated] is my way of doing my part, saying thank you, allowing the masses to going back to seeing their friends, seeing their families, just like I want to see my friends, see my family."
Izaura Oliveira Sarmento, 28, arrived in New Zealand in January 2020 to study for her Masters in Water Resource Management at the University of Canterbury.
Izaura Oliveira Sarmento, 28, desperately wants to see her friends and family again when the borders reopen. Photo / Supplied
She was buzzing with plans for friends to visit and to head home to see family last December. But the pandemic changed everything.
The 28-year-old is calling for people to get vaccinated in the hope of easing restrictions to the point that borders can reopen - allowing more international students in, and the chance for her to hug her loved ones.
She plans to get a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine next week. The process to get her first dose was "amazing" - easy and very organised, she said.
Her home country, Timor Leste, has seen a big drop in cases after its vaccination rollout. They're now able to travel and her family and friends are desperate to come and visit her but she's had to tell them the borders remain closed.
For those who might still be nervous about the vaccine, Oliveira Sarmento has one piece of advice: educate yourself using credible sources.
"Don't listen to every opinion on social media, especially Facebook. Read articles from very credible sources."
Tiara Das, 20, moved here in 2018 from India and spent a year at Taita College in Wellington before going to the University of Otago to study psychology and neuroscience. Her mum and brother are here with her but her dad - who works overseas - hasn't been able to see them in person for two years.
Tiara Das, 20, says people should get vaccinated for their loved ones, not just for themselves. Photo / Supplied
It would be a dream come true for the borders to loosen enough for him to visit, she said. "That would mean the world to me."
Everyone in her family is fully vaccinated - her first dose hurt a little but the second was completely painless.
Rates of vaccination among people Tiara's age are lower than the population average. Her message to her peers is that there's no reason not to get vaccinated.
"It's not just for yourself - it's for the people around you, the people you care about and the people who care about you. If that's not reason enough I don't know what would be."
Where to get a vaccination in Auckland - without a booking
Fiona Cameron, acting chief executive of Education New Zealand, said it was great to see international students getting involved with the vaccination effort.
"New Zealand reaching its 90 per cent vaccination target will aid in our economic recovery and bring us one step closer to welcoming more international students to Aotearoa.
"These are people that bring an array of benefits to community wellbeing, our global relationships, a productive workforce, a strong education system and enable trade and diplomacy."
