Rugby 7s Live on TV – January 2023

Some great Sevens matches last weekend, and on the Series Points Table, USA are second to New Zealand for the Men and Third to New Zealand and Australia for the Women.

This weekend the Series moves to Sydney.

The tournament is being played over 3 days, Friday/Saturday/Sunday local time and the games schedules are at:

Men https://www.world.rugby/sevens-series/stage/2110/fixtures

Women: https://www.world.rugby/sevens-series/stage/2120/fixtures

These schedules show the matches starting at 8 pm EST Tomorrow, Thursday 26th.

Air NZ flies NYC to Auckland

NZ Reopens to NZ citizens & residents from the USA on 13 March, 2022

The New Zealand Government has announced the following changes to MIQ requirements in 2022, as a five step opening process.

From 28 February 2022 - fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens, and other eligible travellers, will be able to travel from Australia to New Zealand without entering managed isolation.

From 14 March 2022 - fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens, and other eligible travellers, will be able to travel to New Zealand from around the world without entering managed isolation. Critical workers and family members will also be included in this step.

From April – July 2022 – International students, Australians, temporary visa holders and travellers from visa waiver countries, will be able to travel to New Zealand without entering managed isolation.

From October 2022 – All travellers can enter New Zealand without entering managed isolation.

For all travellers not required to enter MIQ, you will require the following:

Proof of being fully vaccinated
A negative pre-departure COVID-19 test result
A passenger declaration about your travel history
A day 0/1 rapid antigen test upon arrival and day 5/6 rapid antigen test
Self-isolate for a period of time aligning to the close contact time-frame

More information about these changes can be found on the Unite Against COVID-19 website.

2022 Likely start date for Air New Zealand’s New York flights

Air New Zealand is eyeing a reboot of its proposed New York flights in 2022. The nonstop flights between Auckland and New York were flagged in 2019, but COVID-19 put the brakes on the flights to the US east coast. Now, the route is back on Air New Zealand's radar.

2022 lining up as likely start date for Air New Zealand's New York flights

A report in New Zealand's NewsHub quotes Air New Zealand CEO saying the New York route is shaping up as a viable prospect next year.

"Work is well underway around the airline planning for our inaugural flight to New York, with a team working to get this route up and running next year," said Mr Foran.

"Customers can expect us to be back in business to our key markets like the USA, Japan, China, and obviously Australia and the Pacific Islands."

Greg Foran's comments follow New Zealand's decision to drop its COVID zero strategy and announcing tentative plans to reopen borders to vaccinated travelers early next year.

Air New Zealand – Non-Stop Service Newark Airport to Auckland in 2021

Breaking News - Route Postponed until 2022 (see recent post Feb 2022)

Air New Zealand postponed its ambitious Auckland to New York direct flights by a year. This comes as the fallout from the aviation crisis continues to affect the airline. The carrier has also decided to delay the introduction of its Boeing 787-10 fleet and new business class cabin. Finally, it will exit its Auckland to London via Los Angeles route earlier than scheduled.

Air New Zealand United States Services: New York Non-Stop to Auckland

ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE: Air New Zealand will launch non-stop New York to Auckland flights from Newark Airport in October 2020. The new service will use Air New Zealand's premium-focused configuration Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and will operate three times weekly, year-round. Tickets for Air New Zealand's New York service will go on sale soon, subject to regulatory approvals and landing slot confirmation.

At the same time, the daily Los Angeles to London service will be withdrawn in October 2020. "While Air New Zealand has a proud history of flying direct between Los Angeles and London for 37 years, dynamics on the route have changed in recent years and like other airlines, Air New Zealand is strongest when operating direct flights to and from their home hub."

With the start of the new service, the airline has also made the difficult decision to withdraw from its daily Los Angeles-London service from October 2020.

More information here.

NY Links

Here are some useful links to websites and groups that can help you get what you need in New York:

NZ Embassy – Washington DC

KEA – New York

NYC Navigator – provides companies and individuals with relocation solutions to make the transition to New York and the Tri-State easy

Down Under Bakery (DUB) Pies – authentic New Zealand pies

Kea New York

Kea New York was launched in October 2004, and serves a growing network in the Greater New York Metropolitan area, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

We hold regular events in New York City, covering a range of sectors including financial services, media and entertainment, healthcare and technology connecting Kiwi expats and ‘friends of New Zealand’ to build their contacts, enable networking and leverage business opportunities.

We provide a focal point for NY based Kiwis and Kiwi businesses and act as a conduit for New Yorkers and their dealings with New Zealand.

Contact Phil Veal at newyork@keanewzealand.com.

Visit the KEA site