Talked too a booking agent last week. He felt like N.Z. probably wouldn't open up until next year.

Yesterday im playing a little solitare online and see a N.Z. tourism add twice. Ive never seen a add like it before.

Dont hold your breath.

Basic run down is this- our Govt. is incompetent, and the only safe course we have is keeping people out. We are one of the lowest rates of vaccination in first world and its going slow because they just dont seem able to get vaccine.
And our health system is at capacity as it is- so we would be fucked if the virus got in. it would overwhelm our services- even a mild outbreak.
So our only option is keeping people out. Next year is probably optimistic.

TH,
Shanks pretty much nails it. In NZ there is not nearly enough fully vaccinated citizens yet for govt. to contemplate allowing foreign visitors in. I think if we finish getting everybody fully vaccinated, with two shots, by the end of next year we will have done well going by current performance.
I have had one shot and will get my second in a couple of weeks. Just this week vaccinations opened up for anybody of any age. I'm trying to make an appointment for my ( younger ) wife. The booking system is disappointing to put it mildly. Was told there's no slots until Sept and that our nearest vaccination centre was some distance away. Yet I got my first shot within walking distance of home. I'm gonna try again for her. She has work colleagues who just rocked up to vacc. centres, no appointment and got jabbed on the spot ! Talk about disorganised.

Travel to NZ may be possible in the latter half of 2022 but I wouldn't put down a deposit on a hunt just yet.
We were lucky to get jabbed in June because a phone number to make an appointment in the Bay of Plenty came up on Facebook. I thought it was a scam after holding for 45 minutes I finally got through. Having had both jabs and waited 2 weeks we felt safe to head off to the UK in mid July in time for the Roe deer rut. After a couple of days still jet-lagged I got up at 4.30 and went and sat in a tree 150m behind the house. Saw several Muntjac, including a nice buck in velvet then tried a Roe doe call. A very pretty 6 point buck came out of the scrub about 20m away then turned sideways on. I should have left him really because he would have been a Medal winner in a year or two but sometimes you have to take what the Gods send.
We are heading back to NZ at the end of October to do our 2 weeks in MIQ prison again. My hunt in Uganda this September has been postponed again due to UK Gov regulations so I'm going Red Grouse shooting in Scotland instead.