National leader Judith Collins has described the story of a terminally ill Kiwi refused an emergency spot in managed isolation to say his goodbyes as "heart-breaking".
Ski instructor Trev Pointing was diagnosed with a brain tumour towards the end of 2019 and had been treated in Japan where he lives with his wife and two children.
Do you know of any New Zealanders that are sick and stuck overseas? Contact our reporter Katie Bradford at katie.bradford@tvnz.co.nz
After he was given just months to live when it remerged at the end of 2020, Pointing's family made an emergency application for a place in MIQ, according to Stuff.
Their hopes of returning back to New Zealand were slashed after the application was denied due to not fitting under the "serious risk to health" category.
Collins is adamant there must be space available somewhere across the country's MIQ facilities, with the government setting aside 150 rooms for emergencies each fortnight.
"I just can't believe there's not a spot somewhere, whether or not it would mean putting some people in to another space or whatever."
Collins says there needs to be "some flexibility" taken by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) for people in situations like Trev Pointing to get home.
It shouldn't come at the expense of allowing others through managed isolation, with Collins saying flexibility needs to extend beyond dictating who is allowed in.
This comes after The Wiggles were given spots in MIQ after having sold tickets for their upcoming national tour without having secured isolation rooms.
"I don't think it's a case of the Wiggles or New Zealanders who are desperate to come home. It can be both and it should be," Collins said.
"We should be more flexible with this than we seem to be at the moment."
He's not the only one in this situation either, with Collins stating she's heard from several families desperately wanting to bring sick relatives back home.
"It’s a really hard ask for our people, for a brain tumour, it’s as bad as it gets really".
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