so much distress for those already using the system," On 19 December Lawful named Clee Lawyer of the Year 2022. The article "From Car Boot to ‘Loophole Lawyer’, the Lawyer Who Fought The Government And Won." stated: "However, in January 2022 the story of those entering New Zealand via the ‘transit route’ was broken by the media.The Government entered panic mode, as demonstrated by OIA releases, and a panel consisting of Crown Law, multiple ministries and advisors accepted that they couldn’t stop it, but only try to publicly deride it as selfish." On 3 February, Ardern announced that the country's borders would be reopened in five stages throughout 2022. Under this arrangement, vaccinated New Zealanders and eligible travellers would be able to go into self-isolation and undergo testing on arrival rather than having to enter MIQ: 11.59pm, 27 February: Self-isolation opens for New Zealanders and eligible travellers coming from Australia. The self isolation period would last for ten days. 11.59pm, 13 March: Open to New Zealanders and eligible travellers from the rest of the world; skilled workers earning at least 1.5x median wage; working holiday visa holders. The self isolation period would last for seven days. 11.59pm, 12 April: Offshore temporary visa holders who still meet visa requirements; 5,000 international students; consideration of class exemptions for critical workers who do not meet the 1.5x median wage test. The self isolation period would last for seven days. July: Anyone from Australia; visa-waiver travellers; the introduction of new Accredited Employer Work Visa, and the phasing out of skilled worker exemptions. October: Border reopens to visa categories from the rest of the world. Unvaccinated travellers would still be required to go into MIQ facilities. While the Government plans to phase out MIQ and gradually convert facilities back into hotels and motels, it still plans to maintain a core quarantine capacity in the form of a National Quarantine Service. In response to the Government's announcement, University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker cautiously welcomed the self isolation provision but expressed concerns about supervision. University of Otago senior lecturer Dr Lesley Gray expressed support for a staged reopening since 94% of the population was double vaccinated but expressed concerns about safeguarding unvaccinated children and the vulnerable. University of Canterbury professor Michael Plank opined that a staged border reopening would help mitigate the risk of a huge jump in cases. By contrast, Dr Emily Harvey, a