Ricardo Menendez March
Green Party MP
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Kia ora tatou I would like to thank everyone (particularly my Parliamentary colleagues here in Aotearoa New Zealand) for your patience whilst I formed a fulsome response to queries about my emergency trip home over the last six weeks.
I would also like to thank New Zealanders who have taken in good faith my need to leave during such a tumultuous time. Leaving New Zealand and returning to my homeland of Tijuana Mexico was not an easy decision and many have understood the severity of my personal circumstances, and shown compassion and empathy.
The Green Party has always stood for truth and transparency. Because of this, I am going to go into detail, (as much as my family is comfortable) as to why I made the difficult decision to return home.
Before becoming a Member of Parliament last year, due to the ill health of my father and step-mum, I had booked an urgent flight home to go and care for my parents. My step-mum has had breast cancer diagnosis that she has been battling for several years, she recently had an aggressive relapse and has been given between six to twelve months to live. For several years since my biological mum’s passing, she has been a core part of my nuclear family.
During the pandemic my dad had undergone major surgery (with long lasting effects), and the person who had cared for them had become extremely ill herself and was unable to care for them.The pandemic itself has taken an incredible toll on their health and finances.
In October, surprisingly (to me at least), I became a Member of Parliament. The importance of representing New Zealanders as a newly elected MP meant delaying the trip to go and care for them. During this period of October and November, my long-term partner based in Mexico took up the role of caring for both my parents.
With the summer break approaching, I sought advice from both party Co-leader Marama Davidson and our Musterer (whip) Jan Logie on returning to my homeland to care for my parents. I received their blessing and booked a flight for Dec 13th. Meanwhile, since June last year, my long-term partner and I have been trying to secure a visa for him to live and work in Aotearoa with me. After a couple of attempts, and after a change to the process for people from visa waiver countries, he was granted an invitation to apply for a visa on Dec 3rd.
On Jan 11th, my partner was granted a six month New Zealand Visitor Visa. This aligned, very fortunately, to the period of time where I was seeking to return to Aotearoa New Zealand. My process to return to New Zealand was, as expected, difficult. I applied for the Emergency Allocation through the relevant department (MBIE). Whilst applying, MBIE asked for proof of my need to return to work. My Musterer Jan Logie provided a short letter to them that it was important I return to work for Parliamentary duties. The head of MBIE also called my Co-leader James Shaw to ask if it was important I be prioritised. During this phone conversation, James rightfully made it clear that I should not receive special treatment and should be assessed normally alongside everyone else.
Like every other New Zealander exploring what options there were to return home, I understood and accepted that I did not meet the criteria to come through on the Emergency Allocation, and so undertook the process of continually checking the MIQ website, applying for a voucher and MIQ spot.
I managed to secure a spot on Feb 1, and both my partner and I were able to return to New Zealand and safely quarantine. We are now coming to the end of our time in quarantine, but as a precautionary measure, we will self isolate at home in Auckland for an additional five days before I return to Parliament.
I would like to acknowledge how fantastic the medical and hotel staff have been during my stay in a Christchurch facility. These front line staff spanning from border workers through to those that kept us fed are so invaluable. It has been clear to me throughout the pandemic, but I have a stronger resolve to ensure we continue stopping COVID-19 at our borders through our strong public health and quarantine standards.
I would also like to acknowledge my immense privilege. I understand that many New Zealanders do not have the resources or the available leave from work to go and visit their very sick and dying parents. I understand the collective loss in that and I acknowledge that the difficult decision I made to return to Tijuana was also one grounded in good fortune.
I look forward to returning to Parliament to support my colleagues in their mission for a fairer Aotearoa after a challenging period for my family. I’d like to once again thank everyone for their kindness and compassion during this time. I would also like to thank my incredible partner who has cared for my immediate family during the pandemic. The last six weeks have taken a significant toll on me and my family so, with the support of loved ones and of course my colleagues, I will continue to focus on my family.
I will return to Parliament not next week, but the following, and I look forward to getting stuck back into work.
Nga mihi Ricardo
