Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Covid-19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: No more MIQ for Rotorua as Government announces additional managed isolation hotel in Christchurch

Kelly Makiha
By Kelly Makiha
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
23 Sep, 2021 01:48 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Covid 19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.

Covid 19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.

A fourth managed isolation facility for Rotorua is officially off the cards, with the Government announcing today an additional hotel will be added in Christchurch.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today other managed isolation facility options were considered in Auckland and Rotorua but were rejected primarily because of health and MIQ workforce constraints.

"I have approved and Cabinet is in the final stages of signing off The Quality Hotel Elms in Christchurch as a new managed isolation facility," Hipkins said.

With overseas Kiwis queuing to come home and too few MIQ spaces to meet the demand, the Government previously confirmed it was looking at adding facilities in Rotorua and Christchurch.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Rotorua already has MIQ facilities at the Ibis, Rydges and Sudima hotels, and residents have strongly argued the city has already done its share to help.

Those opposing the move included Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick, iwi, local MPs, Rotorua Chamber of Commerce and the Lakes District Health Board - which was concerned about stretched staffing.

Hipkins said no suitable facilities were found in Hamilton and Wellington.

He said the Government asked the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to find new facilities to help balance the reduced capacity overall.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"These include cohorting, taking hotels offline to boost their ventilation systems and the conversion of two isolation facilities for quarantine.

"We want to assure Kiwis overseas that we are doing everything we can to facilitate their safe return. The new hotel will result in 85 more rooms for returnees and brings the numbers of facilities in the network to 32.

"Before hotels are added to the network they must meet a rigorous safety, public health and staffing criteria," Hipkins said.

This includes appropriate ventilation, staff "green" zones, separate entry and exit points and CCTV capability.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'It's on in the Tron': Robertson looking forward to final test

Bay of Plenty Times

'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ soldier lies in unmarked grave

Bay of Plenty Times

No ‘alarm bells’ about Malachi before his death, daycare says


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'It's on in the Tron': Robertson looking forward to final test
Bay of Plenty Times

'It's on in the Tron': Robertson looking forward to final test

'It’s rugby country ... you walk down the street, everyone’s so passionate.'

17 Jul 05:00 AM
'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ soldier lies in unmarked grave
Bay of Plenty Times

'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ soldier lies in unmarked grave

17 Jul 03:00 AM
No ‘alarm bells’ about Malachi before his death, daycare says
Bay of Plenty Times

No ‘alarm bells’ about Malachi before his death, daycare says

17 Jul 02:32 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP