Kiwis have lived with vaccine passports for months, some have got used to them. For others, they've been a political lightning-rod.
But within a few weeks they could be on their way out.
Newshub Nation understands vaccine passes are likely to be gone by the 13th of April - and more changes are on the way.
This is St Patrick’s Day at Dakota, once among the busiest days of the year but the flow of pints has slowed to a trickle
And the luck of the Irish has long run out.
Owner Jose Ubiaga runs one of Wellington’s most popular nightclubs.But these days the dancefloor is empty and the mechanical bull sits idle out back.
"I’m losing money every week, every week we’re in red I’m losing thousands," Ubiaga told Newshub Nation.
Bars have stayed open but with restrictions at the Red traffic light setting.
But it’s far from enough to make a buck.
"At the end of this month I’ve got next month’s rent due, and I know I’m gonna be calling the landlord and telling them I can’t pay the rent," Ubiaga said.
All over New Zealand - the very same story for bars, restaurants and cafes.
"We lost two billion dollars as an industry through Delta. Omicron - I would hate to think what we’re losing now," Julie White from the Hospitality Association said.
With the Omicron wave close to peaking - they’re crying out for the rules to change.
"Every day counts, I can’t emphasise that enough these guys are losing thousands weekly. We need to move out of red," White said.
Next week Cabinet will decide the future of nearly every aspect of the COVID-19 response.
Vaccine mandates, vaccine passes and the traffic light system rules.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said a system needs to be in place to allow life to return to as normal as possible.
And the “new normal” could happen quickly.
Newshub Nation understands vaccine passes are likely to be gone by the 13th of April when Australian tourists arrive.
"The vaccine pass system is probably going to become less useful over time, once we're past the peak," COVID-19 modeller Professor Michael Plank told Newshub.
The traffic light system will remain but with changes.
Any shift out of Red will be cautious moving to Orange, rather than Green.
"We’ll sit down and assess where we are in the outbreak and the ability to move further down the traffic light system," Ardern said.
And the vaccine mandates that sparked chaos at Parliament look to be set to change as well.
Newshub Nation understands they’ll be narrowed - likely to be dropped for many professions - but kept for health workers and aged care.
"The public would expect that the doctor looking after them isn't going to give them COVID19 // Beyond that I'm less certain. I think we can relax indoor vaccine mandates if various industries agree that’s what they want," Professor Michael Baker said.
National wants the Government to go further, ditching the traffic light system completely once the country is past the peak.
National MP Chris Bishop said there is little point to the traffic light system.
"The point of the traffic light system - I just don't think there is one anymore. If there's another variant that comes along, you've always got that in reserve. But generally I would say scrap it - let people get on with their lives."
Change is coming but it’s a matter of timing.
Daily case numbers show the country may have passed the Omicron peak.
Hospitalisations will take longer but could be turning a corner too.
"Hospitalisations do lag behind so it’s possible those hospital numbers will increase // but we’d expect them to peak sometime in the next week or so," Professor Plank said.
But every day matters for those on the edge.
"There must be about 50 percent of restaurants, cafes and bars that are gonna be right on the brink of whether they can survive next month," Ubiaga said.
Hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel.
Life as we know it about to change.
