A high-profile Auckland restaurateur stranded in Dubai amid escalating Middle East tensions has described the New Zealand government’s reach-out efforts as "dismal", saying she has not received a single message from officials despite registering with SafeTravel.

Chand Sahrawat and husband Sid Sahrawat own and operate some of Auckland’s best-known restaurants including Cassia, Kol and Anise. They arrived in Dubai on February 26 for business meetings. She registered with SafeTravel two days later after regional tensions escalated following joint strikes on Iran by the US and Israel.

"The response has been dismal...[I did] not receive even one email from NZ government or SafeTravel," she told Awaaz from Dubai on Wednesday. “Neither did many, many others,” says Chand.

SafeTravel is a service managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) that provides essential travel advice, risk assessments, and emergency alerts for New Zealanders traveling or living overseas. 

The government says it is actively supporting New Zealanders in the region, with foreign minister Winston Peters telling journalists on March 4 that officials are providing 24/7 consular assistance, urging registration through SafeTravel, and working with partners to identify exit options as airspace restrictions ease. 

Sahrawat’s account, however, suggests that at least some registered travellers feel they are largely navigating the crisis on their own.

Scrambling for a way out

With flight schedules disrupted and uncertainty over regional airspace, Sahrawat says she and other New Zealanders have been forced to organise their own exit plans.

On Wednesday, she paid about $3000 for a seat on a charter flight to Mumbai, departing not from Dubai International Airport but from Fujairah, a smaller emirate roughly 90 minutes away by road.

“This is not even common knowledge that this airport is operating flights to India,” she said. “We have not seen any flight leave so far to Auckland.”

She said travellers have been relying on word of mouth and online groups to identify which airports remain operational and which routes are viable. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Sehrawats were hoping to depart "within hours".

Insurance void, costs rising

Beyond safety concerns, Sahrawat said financial pressures are mounting. “Insurance considers war as force majeure so cover is void,” she said.

She said Dubai authorities had not extended hotel stays for stranded travellers without charge, adding to mounting accommodation costs “Prices are extortionate to buy tickets out.”

"You hear booms"

While Dubai is not itself a war zone, Sahrawat described an atmosphere of anxiety and limited official communication. “You hear booms but no coverage so you wait to see Al Jazeera,” she said. “Not much messaging from NZ government or UAE.”

The lack of direct outreach, she said, has heightened uncertainty for travellers trying to assess risks and make decisions in a fast-moving situation. For now, her focus is immediate.

“Hoping we fly in two hours,” she told Awaaz over an email.