A Whakatāne man is relieved to be home after staying in isolation at an Auckland hotel after returning home from Australia.
Levi Hodges, who was living and working in Australia, made the decision to return home because there was no support for him and thousands of other New Zealanders at the time. This was before the Australian government's support package was announced.
Speaking live to Tapatahi today, Hodges says being at home is a "relief".
“I wasn’t really there (in hotel isolation) on my own will, so being home in the comfort of my family space is a lot more bearable.”
It is also a relief for this father, Nathan Hodges.
“My concern was for him being over in Australia with the economy, knowing it would take a big downturn. And I knew a lot of people would be out of work, unemployed and struggling.”
He says it was important to get his son home.
“It’s great having him here with me, knowing he’s under our roof and we can look after him. He’s a big boy but we make sure there’s bread on the table and he’s with his whānau who love him. It’s really good, it’s really comforting.”
Levi says staying at the hotel was “frustrating”.
“It grinds on your nerves a bit, mostly because there’s no set of rules or guidelines or any kind of regulations going on. It changes by the day.”
Now, the family is worried about Levi’s brother, who lives in Australia and lost his job last Thursday.
“He’s a warehouse employee for a company and they started laying off the majority of staff,” Nathan says.
The brother is in the process of making sure his passport can be renewed so he can return to Aotearoa.
"I have concerns there whether the process will be smooth and whether he can make it back in time before they possibly shut the borders," says Nathan.
Fortunately for this whānau, the latest information from the government is that the New Zealand borders will remain open to anyone who is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.