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Heather du Plessis-Allan: How good has Murray Bolton been today?

Author
Heather du Plessis-Allan,
Publish Date
Fri, 5 Nov 2021, 4:34PM
Auckland entrepreneur Murray Bolton. (Photo / Jason Oxenham)
Auckland entrepreneur Murray Bolton. (Photo / Jason Oxenham)

Heather du Plessis-Allan: How good has Murray Bolton been today?

Author
Heather du Plessis-Allan,
Publish Date
Fri, 5 Nov 2021, 4:34PM

Murray Bolton. How good has he been today?

As you know, last week he won his legal case against the officials running MIQ.

He has to go to the States for work, but he doesn’t want to go through the lottery of human misery that is MIQ.

He’s double jabbed, he can easily isolate at home in Auckland, there’s no reason why he can’t, given how much Covid there is in Auckland, so he took officials to the High Court and won.

He’s just had the news today that officials have backed down and he can now isolate at home.

But here’s the best bit: Murray is going to help other Kiwis do the same.

He’s offered to share his legal research with the guys at Grounded Kiwis who are representing all the overseas New Zealanders trying to get back through MIQ. 

And better yet, he’s prepared to help fund cases if his lawyer reckons there’s a chance of them winning.

What a top thing to do.

Because he’s proving Chris Hipkins wrong, isn’t he? 

Hipkins tried to paint Murray Bolton as a rich guy trying to buy his way “to the front of the queue”.

No, he’s not. He’s trying to dismantle a queue we don’t need any more.

And even without helping people out case by case, just by taking the officials to the Court, he’s done a lot to start that process.

Because officials are on notice now.

Legal academic Andrew Geddis read the Bolton High Court ruling and the next day wrote an opinion piece saying the basis for the MIQ system will get “more and more difficult to justify”.

Because as the Court pointed out here, Kiwis have a right to travel by law. Officials need to consider that, and also consider how much Covid risk these Kiwis actually pose to the community if they isolate at home rather than MIQ.

Especially – you could add – when we have 163 cases today.

So it’s not just a victory for Murray Bolton. It’s a victory for all Kiwis stuck overseas trying to get back through MIQ.

And just as a fun aside, Murray Bolton’s message to Chris Hipkins today was “go to hell”.

Incidentally, that’s where I’d like to send MIQ.

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