The dream of living overseas is still alive for some Kiwis, despite the pandemic.
By Georgie Smyth
Matt Bray had his sights set on the world.
Originally from Tauranga, he moved to Vancouver with his girlfriend Jendi Logan, from Oakura, in 2017 and got a job as a processing engineer at a custom kitchen firm in the city. Jendi got a role as a marketing web designer for a tech start-up company.
After their time in Canada they planned to move to Europe and do it all over again on the continent.
But then Covid-19 happened.
They both thought their jobs were secure before Matt got laid off on and Jendi was put on reduced hours and pay.
When the New Zealand Government took the drastic step on March 18 of urging its citizens travelling overseas to consider returning home, they knew they’d stay in Canada.
“Having to uproot and move back in a rush didn’t feel like the right option,” he said.
“We are still happy we are here and don’t plan on heading home anytime soon”.
The number of Kiwis who returned home versus those that stayed in Canada isn’t known, according to the New Zealand High Commission in Canada.
But the commission said its offices around the country received an influx of calls from concerned Kiwis asking about travel advice.
All of those inquiries received the official line from the government - return home.
When the pandemic prompted New Zealand to declare a State of Emergency on March 25, Anna Kokje and her boyfriend Obed Moffitt, both from Wellington, had to decide between their lives in New Zealand and Canada.
Anna had returned to New Zealand on March 12 to spend three weeks catching up with friends and family, before watching her best friend get married.
Instead, a week later large gatherings in New Zealand were prohibited and the wedding was postponed.
Closing the border
On the same day Canada announced it would be closing its border to most foreign nationals.
At first Anna didn’t know what to do.
A few weeks passed and her family was adamant she stay in New Zealand where she had a place to stay and a support network. They were afraid she’d get all the way to the Canadian border and be turned away or worse, be exposed to the virus while travelling.
But when US President Donald Trump tweeted on April 20 he’d be temporarily suspending immigration into the United States, a common stopover for New Zealand to Canada flights, she decided she had to leave immediately before her travel window closed.
"There was a lot of emotion" the night she told her family she’d bought a ticket to return to Canada.
Two days later, and against New Zealand Government advice, she was on a plane.
She was allowed to enter Canada on April 24 but will be in mandatory quarantine until May 8.
Anna, who works in health regulation for British Columbia, is working from home. Her boyfriend Obed is taking advantage of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) after being laid off from his job as a project manager.
Working from home, sometimes on reduced hours or pay, receiving government support or chipping into savings to pay the bills is the very unexpected reality many Kiwis who decided to stay are facing.
In this new reality of social distancing, many expats are finding support from others in the virtual world.
The Kia Ora Vancouver Facebook page and group, with more than 5,000 followers has become a safe meeting space for those that find themselves far from home. On the page Kiwis offer each other advice, help with buying groceries and more often than not just a laugh and a place to talk.
For New Zealanders still on home shores, the dream of visiting, working or living in Canada is further away than ever.
For Kiwis who don’t hold dual citizenship or permanent residency in Canada ways to enter the country are now restricted to essential workers or those who already hold working visas.
Moreover New Zealanders are being advised against all international travel for the foreseeable future.
It may be small comfort however that all the things Kiwis come to Canada to do are off the table.
Ski resorts are closed, the trails are off limits and in many small towns visitors are unwelcome.
But for Matt McFly, from Auckland, the hardest part about the pandemic is not knowing when he’ll see his family in New Zealand again.
He found love in Canada and recently married a Russian Canadian woman.
He’d planned to take her to New Zealand for the first time but is now spending time at home cooking, reading and waiting for the borders to open again.
“Instead we are sitting at home eating marmite toast and manuka honey, zooming to the family back home,” he said.
Georgie Smyth is a CBC network reporter and producer in Vancouver. She has previously produced and reported for BBC World News in London and reported and presented for Nine News Australia.
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