A dying New Zealand expat who was initially denied an MIQ spot has now been granted one, to his family's relief.
Trevor Ponting, with his daughter Mia and son Toa. Photo: Supplied
Trevor Ponting was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in Japan late in 2019 and wanted to spend his last days with family and friends in Christchurch.
However, on Friday he learned he had been denied a place in Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) on the basis his situation wasn't urgent enough for a medical emergency, according to his younger sister Yvonne Ponting.
The family is now delighted to see that decision has been reversed and Ponting, his wife Aiko and their two young children will be able to come to New Zealand soon.
His sister said the change may be because of public pressure since their story was first reported. She said her brother's condition isn't good, and the family had been devastated when he was denied a place.
"We've been told that it's pretty much untreatable now, it's very aggressive. We were told that he's got perhaps two months to live," she said.
Trevor Ponting is well known in New Zealand's skate and snowboarding communities. Photo: Supplied
Ponting said her brother and sister-in-law worked in snow sports in Japan and have been travelling between New Zealand and Japan for years. The last time they were here was when their first child was nine months old, but now she was three and they had a son who's now 18 months old.
"They were planning to come back to New Zealand after their son was born, but unfortunately that didn't pan out and he was diagnosed before they could make it back ... By the time he came out of hospital after his initial surgery, Covid had hit, so he wasn't able to come back then," she said.
"As a family we're very excited... it was just unbearable to think that we might not be able to see him again, because he's got limited time. So we're just really excited and getting ready for him and Aiko his wife, and his two little children, to arrive and go through isolation and then come home to Christchurch and we can all be together and fight it as a family."
Ponting said her family's experience can help bring some positive change to the MIQ process.
"I'm just hoping that [if] there's other people out there in similar situations maybe there can be some kind of review of the process, so that people aren't put into this situation moving forward, because it's just another kick in the guts when you've already got a family member or person you love facing the last months to their life," she said.
"You just can't handle that sort of news, and it just doesn't seem right. Hopefully this helps to make it easier for others who might be experiencing similar things."