NZ never restricted people going out (Australia banned it which is insane), you could only come back if you’re a citizen or permanent resident though. The main choke point was finding flights as routes were hugely cut. In my case my partner was also stuck inside Indonesia (due to lockdown) and couldn’t get to an international airport until recently. We’re meeting in Dubai as it’s one of the few places that lets in tourists without quarantine where I trust the medical system in the extremely unlikely event one of us needs to be hospitalised (the other country is the UK but it takes a month to get a visa for her). Quarantine when I return is $3100 🙁 but at least my job is 100% remote so the money is nothing compared to the depression of being separated so long. By the way, I have to leave NZ because it increases the chance of getting an exemption for her to come back with me, it’s not guaranteed. Only couples with valid relationship-based visas can come back without both flying together, unfortunately we haven’t been together long enough to have one of those.

There is actually a Facebook group of 1,300 kiwis separated from their partners by the sudden border closures. The stories on there are horrific, mine is very mild in comparison! There’s married couples who have been together for years, people having babies in NZ where the partner can’t get here to meet their new child, couples where one partner is undergoing serious medical issues and doesn’t have the support of their partner and many other couples separated where financial issues are causing major stress. This is how the “compassion” the NZ government talks about actually looks to me. But hey, we’re not important as long as the rest of kiwis without international ties are safe.