National has released what it calls a "sensible plan" to fix the managed isolation allocation system.
Leader Judith Collins and her Covid-19 response spokesperson Chris Bishop say the MIQ requirements at the border will be in place for some time, so they are proposing five changes to fix the system.
The changes include banning the use of bots and third parties to secure MIQ vouchers, implementing a points system to prioritise allocations and introducing a Kiwi expatriate advisory group.
"The key point is a prioritisation system," Chris Bishop says. "We suggested points but the language doesn't really matter - it's how you do it.
"[It's] a prioritisation system based on reasons for coming to New Zealand."
The other two suggestions included having a waiting list, and transparency over room release dates.
'The underlying problem'
“The underlying problem of MIQ is that demand generally massively exceeds the number of spaces in any given period,” Collins says.
“At the moment, with the exception of a 10 per cent quota for critical workers, some contingency rooms, and a limited number of emergency allocations, spaces in MIQ are simply allocated on a ‘first-in, first-served basis.
“New Zealanders overseas and here at home have spent more than a year dealing with a broken MIQ system. Unlike the government, National has come up with a plan to change that.”