Stay in NZ or return home to UK?

Stay. Everything is so much easier there anyway. We also go to relatives there.

Just make sure that your home and holiday insurance are informed about a prolonged stay. I assume you have a year long visa for NZ but either way check you can stay (there will be no problem. We once had to overstay due to illness.)

Unless you have other children and responsibilities in the U.K. it would be best to stay put for the time being. You would presumably need to self isolate for two/three weeks in your own home and it may be hard to restock your larder depending on where you live and how supportive your area is likely to be. Most areas have been exceptionally helpful but others not so much.

NZ has a larger land mass with a tiny population compared to the U.K. so presumably much easier to control and contain the virus.

No matter how carefully planned I wouldn’t want to risk such a long journey right now though tbh I would be wary of taking a much shorter journey! It would only take a minor slip up to infect people trapped together for hours in a restricted space even if you are travelling first class.

Those of us with our own homes and gardens are coping reasonably well with the odd wobble now and then. People living in tower blocks with young children must be seriously struggling.

Make the most of the time to enjoy your NZ family.

Provided your health care is in place in NZ and you have no pressing need to return to UK I would stay put. As others have said NZ seems to be handling things well.
I do have a little feeling though which agrees with BlueBelle that its good to be home too.
Sorry GrandmaKT I'm not being much help to you am I.

If this is an opportunity to stay longer than planned with your family in NZ, you have no pressing reason to return home, I would look upon this as possibly the chance of a lifetime you have been given and would make the most of it.

Weigh up the pros and cons and follow your instinct. Would it be worth putting yourselves at risk or staying where Jacinda Ardern has made all the right decisions to keep all residents safe as opposed to the chaos in the UK.

Stay put as you can't do anything if you come back here so better to stay where you're safer for the time being. Look upon it as an extended holiday and enjoy it.

Depends on how long you will be away from the UK in total. Your house insurance may not pay out in case of fire etc unless you inform them how long you will be away.
You also have to inform Dept of Work and Pensions and they can dock your pension.
I presume you have medical insurance to cover your stay in NZ but how much will it cost to extend it.
To date NZ is coping far better than the UK re Covid 19 butwill that still hold as their winter approaches. ?
The UK is heading to summer and that might help keep numbers of new cases down.
A long haul flight means you will be in an enclosed space with several hundred others and if one has the virus at the start then it will certainly spread to others.
Overall you have to weigh up all the risks and advantages on both sides and decide. Good luck

Don't leave us

Seriously, I believe very long flights in planes which recycle the breathed air and safe distancing is impossible, are potentially hazardous.

You'll be able to find rented accommodation easily as the tourist season is over and you'll be such a boon to your family, looking after the little one.

E noho ki konei. He wahi haumaru, he āhuru mōwai korua.
Stay here. It is a safe and secure place for you

At least our rules and restrictions here in New Zealand are clearcut whereas they seem a bit random and vague in the UK. We shall be moving down from Alert level 4 to Alert level 3 at the end of this month and, if that seems to work okay and infection rates and deaths are still decreasing, then we shall move down a level again a bit later on. Constant testing and constant tracing community contact are the key and I think NZ has that pretty much under control. That does not seem to be the case in the UK from what I have read.

I echo all of the above and would also stay where you are providing you can get insurance cover and have no pressing need to return home (pets in care etc). If you are able to rent a place it might be a good idea (it's wonderful to have family staying but can get a bit wearing if it goes on indefinitely )

We are so thankful my youngest son and family are over there in Auckland rather than in London where they moved from!

Stay.
After much deliberation & discussion with my 3 DDs, I returned from Australia on 22 March after my annual visit to DD2. I wish I’d stayed.....

Hi all,

Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. Thanks so much for all the comments and opinions, especially from the lovely NZ grans. We really enjoy visiting your country and hope to be back soon.
You will have probably gathered by now that we have gone against most of the advice on this thread and decided to take the flights home.
It has been such a hard decision and we (I) have changed our minds so many times!
Our reasons for returning are:
1. If we don't go now, we are likely to have to stay several more months
2. Although our family here love us very much, we have been here 3 months now, one of those on lockdown and we would really need to hire an apartment if we stay on. The thought of winter holed up in a flat when we have a nice big house and sunny garden at home doesn't appeal.
3. We would have to return at some time and the situation in UK doesn't look as if it is going to improve drastically at any time soon. We read this week that a possible 2nd wave is on the way later in the year.
4. If we stay any longer now it may affect when and for how long we make out next visit.
5. The flight should be as safe as possible as everyone on it will have been self-isolating in NZ for over 4 weeks, Hong Kong airport is closed and we have booked a local taxi firm to pick us up at Heathrow and take us back home (NW).

So, thanks again for all your lovely advice. I hope I have explained our reasoning. We leave on Tuesday x

One of my sons has recently returned from India on a repatriation flight. The plane was full- 300 seats. They had their temperatures checked before boarding. At the UK end passports were checked by machine. There were no checks and no advice about self isolating. Fortunately our house is big enough for him to self isolate here reasonably well, although obviously less than ideal. We are leaving trays of food outside his room. His room has an ensuite.

stay there. Much safer in NZ

Yes, the UK advice is pretty sketchy - try to stay at home except for shopping and exercise and work if you can't work from home! But different to NZ where everyone is quarantined for 2 weeks...

GrandmaKT quite a few of us have family far away and while before we could just plan to go and visit, now it's very much in the lap of the gods. Still let's try and stay positive. The way they are dealing with the virus in NZ seems excellent!

Let us know when you get back?

I think going home is the right decision. You are in a special identified flight and no idea when you would be able to get home otherwise.

I have a friend stranded in Oz with family. She is staying there

slightly off thread, well my mind does that..
but with all this "talk" of repatriation of Brits,, haven`t heard any "talk" of repatriation of other people, to their countries?

just wondering

I think I would have been torn as to stay or go. but then for me, I could never go out of this country...

Stay, your safer there than here.

You have the outbreak being handled by Jacinda Ahern. We have Boris Johnson. No brainer.

I don’t think there’s any answer other than ‘stay put’ until life returns to some sense of normality.

You're in probably the safest country on the planet, and you're thinking about moving back to a country that has one of the worst records for coping with the virus? It's horrible here. Cancel your car insurance at home, inform your home insurance (and your neighbours) and stay put.

Best of luck GrandmaKT. Have a safe journey home and please post again when you return home.

I'd come home. But then I am always glad to get home no matter how great the place we are staying. I miss my family & cats too much.