A general view of passengers arriving at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Getty Images
A general view of passengers arriving at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Getty Images
COMMENT:
Haere mai!
I hope you are well. It's been a tumultuous time in your life lately, to say the least. Uprooting your life to fly back home, in the midst of a pandemic, not knowing when you could get here, and the journey taking even longer than it usually would, with the quarantine keeping you from hugging loved ones.
It can't be easy. And to make things worse, your every movement is restricted for a while, that life you're so desperate to restart is on hold and people on social media have a lot of opinions on whether you should even be allowed in.
Of course you should be allowed in. This is home. Your home. You are always welcome here.
It's your birthright as a citizen to return to your homeland. It's your prerogative to come and go as you please. It doesn't matter why you were away or what you were doing, and it's none of anyone's business why you returned now and not earlier or later.
You are here and you are welcome. We are glad you are home safe.
The amount of tax we pay is not a measure of our right to be in a country, or even our love and dedication to it. I hate seeing your postal address being used against you.
The hugs can't happen at the arrival lounge for a while. Photo / Getty Images
I am not from New Zealand but chose to make it my home. I pay my taxes here. I don't think I'm any more entitled to be here than you are. And by the same token, if I chose to return to my other home country, where I am a citizen, I know I'd be welcome. Because that's how it works; despite the angry memes, we look after our own. Always have, always will, no matter what angry keyboard warriors want to make you think.
A country cannot close its borders to its own citizens. Whoever even dares to suggest that is not just being unkind - it's also showing a blatant ignorance for the most fundamental rules of democracy and citizenship.
Government mistakes are not your mistakes. You are just trying to get home safe.
We worked hard in lockdown to make this a safe place for everyone again, including you. You are part of this big welcoming whānau and we are so glad you're safe.
We will all be okay, as long as we've got our loved ones around us. I am sure your family is thrilled that you're back near them. They must have been so worried about you, in a foreign country, with the virus around you. I'm glad they too can rest a little easier now.
So ignore the memes, don't read the comments. Settle with ease into your new life here. Once quarantine is over, make sure you get yourself all the Kiwi treats you missed during your time overseas. Enjoy catching up with the mates you hadn't seen in so long. Just wash your hands and navigate this weird time with us.
As Dave Dobbyn says in the song that always has me in tears when it plays in the baggage hall after a long flight home, "you'll find most of us here with our hearts wide open".
