It's more expensive for New Zealand to shut its borders than most countries. In a sense, we're least able to eliminate the virus because we're so heavily depend

It's more expensive for New Zealand to shut its borders than most countries. In a sense, we're least able to eliminate the virus because we're so heavily dependent on our international connectivity. We rely heavily on immigration. Our policy planners expect the population to grow every year because of new arrivals. That movement has other effects, like supporting house price inflation. Which itself impacts the banks' expectations and willingness to lend. And so on. Tourism and international education are very significant industries for us. Tourism employs about 1/7 workers. Even something that appears relatively domestic, such as growing food, relies on migrant workers from the Pacific.