The National Party is calling for the immediate end of most vaccine passes and a shorter COVID-19 isolation period, saying it is time for New Zealand to "move on".
Cabinet ministers are reviewing all its restrictions this week and next, with an announcement expected soon.
In a statement issued this morning, National leader Christopher Luxon said vaccine passes should be scrapped for all but large indoor events and all scanning requirements dropped.
National would also cut the seven-day isolation period to just five days, Luxon said.
"Life has been tough for Kiwis these past couple years. It's time for us to move on and start thinking positively about the future Kiwis can build for themselves and their families.
"As we come through the peak of Omicron, it's time to phase out restrictions and allow people to get back to normal. This is particularly important for businesses, which have often borne the brunt of restrictions like gathering limits, vaccine passes and scanning in."
National COVID-19 response spokesperson Chris Bishop said restrictions should be further relaxed once the border reopens to Australians next month.
From 13 April, the government should axe the entire traffic light framework, drop pre-departure testing, and begin phasing out vaccine mandates, Bishop said.
"Vaccine passes and mandates made sense under Delta. They don't under Omicron," Bishop said.
"The public health rationale for vaccine passes just isn't there anymore, and they are now putting unjustified limits on people's rights. It will be logistically impossible to apply the vaccine pass system to Australians anyway, and we'll be a month on from the Omicron peak by then."
Bishop said the government's instinct should be to remove restrictions on normal life as soon as they are not justified.
"Of course, if the risk changes in the future we can always put the framework back in place... but overall, we need to send the message that life is returning to normal."
RNZ
