Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Immigration): This Sunday, New Zealand marked the final step in our reconnecting plan with visitors from non - visa waiver countries and international students now eligible to apply for a visa to enter New Zealand. We also opened the maritime border to cruise ships, specialist vessels, and recreational vessels. This follows the opening up of the Accredited Employer Work Visa earlier in July, which has received healthy interest from employers, with 23,000 job-check applications received and 7,100 approved. As a country, we're looking forward to welcoming everyone from around the world back to our shores, which is great news for our tourism industry and our economy and society as we move into the warmer months of the year. 