Kiwis in Ukraine have been told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to get out of the country immediately, but says support will be limited.
Thirty-three New Zealanders are currently registered as being in Ukraine.
Barry Hudson, originally from Dunedin, is one of them, and told 1News he hasn’t been concerned about a potential Russian invasion until now.
“Things seem to have taken a bit of a turn, both in the media and we’ve also been contacted by the New Zealand Embassy in Poland,” he said.
In a statement, MFAT told 1News the ability to provide consular assistance to New Zealanders in Ukraine is “very limited”.
“The security situation in Ukraine could change at short notice and New Zealanders should not rely on support with evacuating in these circumstances.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring the situation in Ukraine and continues to update its travel advice to New Zealanders in Ukraine regularly.”
Mr Hudson can apply for an Emergency Allocation in MIQ, but won’t because his wife isn’t a New Zealander. He says he has no confidence in the New Zealand Government to help get him home.
“I’m a New Zealander. I should be allowed to come back to my own country, it’s interesting getting a message from your government saying ‘hey, it’s really dangerous, get out’ but you have no way of getting back.”
He and a group of Kiwis have now booked flights to Turkey for Monday.
MBIE, which looks after MIQ, didn’t answer 1News’ question about giving Kiwis in Ukraine spots in MIQ, instead referring us to the Emergency Allocation guidelines.
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