that 26,000 people were competing for 3,000 MIQ spaces listed on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website's "virtual lobby" allowing entry to New Zealand in November and December 2021. In mid-September 2021, Julie South of the veterinary recruitment agency VetStaff launched a petition calling for the Government to set aside two MIQ spaces each week for overseas-based veterinarians in order to address the shortage of veterinarians in New Zealand. Difficulties for border-crossers in securing in MIQ facilities have attracted significant media and public attention. In early October, The Southland Times reported that Southland Hospital's maternity unit may be downgraded since its director, Dr Jim Faherty, who had been granted compassionate leave to visit his ill parents in the United States, was unable to secure a place in MIQ. On 6 October, a pregnant Auckland woman named Sami filed a legal challenge against MBIE's decision to deny her stranded husband an MIQ voucher so that he could care for her and their child. According to Stuff, the MIQ system has received 229 applications involving a pregnant woman since 30 October 2020. However, there is no specific emergency allocation criteria for pregnant women or their partners who are stuck overseas. Sami has sought to change that policy. On 20 October 2021, the Chief Onbudsman Peter Boshier launched an independent investigation into the MIQ system after receiving 200 complaints about the system. According to Boshier, the complaints fit into four broad categories: "that the allocation system is unlawful, unfit for purpose, unfair, and poorly managed." On 22 June 2022, The New Zealand Herald reported that the Government would investigate the allocation of emergency MIQ spots during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, with particularly attention to the treatment of pregnant women wanting to return to New Zealand to give birth. On 12 December 2022, Onbudsman Boshier released his findings into the MIQ allocation system. His report found that MBIE acted "unreasonably" in implementing the MIQ system during the COVID-19 pandemic and that Government officials did not acknowledge the impact that the allocation system would have on people's lives. Boshier also found that the MIQ voucher system did not meet the needs of New Zealanders who had a genuine or urgent need to travel nor those experiencing delays in returning to New Zealand. In addition, there were no provisions for disabled people to independently apply for vouchers. In response to the Onbudsman's report, Grounded Kiwis