Jacinda Ardern reveals New Zealand’s reopening date with Australia and the world

NZ is reopening to the world in five stages that include the return of the bubble with Australia.

New Zealanders in Australia will be able to return home without hotel quarantine from February 27, in the first of a five stage reopening plan.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed details of the Kiwi reopening on Thursday, with home isolation for returnees in the initial phase.

Other eligible travellers will include critical workers to help ease labour shortages.

On March 13, Kiwis in other parts of the world can return in similar conditions, along with non-citizens with visas like skilled migrants.

The third step will include international students in April.

Jacinda Ardern has announced NZ’s reopening plan. Picture: Getty

Quarantine free travel between New Zealand and Australia is set to begin again. Picture: NZ Herald

Australians are expected to be able to cross the Tasman no later than July when the country opens further to non-citizens from visa-free countries.

“Step 4 sees the biggest expansion yet, and includes our Australian cousins and all other visitors and other visitors and business travellers who can normally enter New Zealand without a visa,” she said.

“I want to place strong emphasis on this being the latest we expect this to begin. There is a high likelihood of this date coming forward as we progress through the next stage of the pandemic.”

Step 5 begins in October and includes all other visitors and students who require a visa to enter New Zealand, with normal visa processing resuming.

Ms Ardern confirmed the changes to a business audience in Auckland on Thursday morning.

She said MIG - managed isolation - had been associated with heartache.

“There is no question, that for New Zealand, it has been one of the hardest parts of the pandemic.

“But the reason that it is right up there as one of the toughest things we have experienced, is in part because large-scale loss of life is not.

“The anguish of MIQ has been real, and heartbreaking. But the choice to use it, undeniably saved lives.

“MIQ meant not everyone could come home when they wanted to. But it also meant that Covid could not come in when it wanted to, either,” she said.

New Zealand has escaped the high deaths and prolonged lockdowns of Australia and other countries with strict border controls, but the border closure has meant Kiwis living overseas have struggled to return home with a bottleneck at managed isolation hotels.

That included pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis, who was denied a spot in hotel quarantine, because she wanted to return at a time of her choosing which was outside the emergency criteria she applied under.

Three free rapid tests will be given to people as they self isolate to monitor for Covid New Zealand moved through its Omicron outbreak and adjusted to living with the virus.

One is for use on day one, one for use on day five or six with an extra test as a spare.

“That gives us the best chance of identifying cases that have come across the border,” Ms Ardern said.

“The strong advice from our public health officials is that we still need it to manage our way through Omicron, but there will be a time in the not too distant future when that will not be the case,” she said.

New Zealand has shortened the window for booster eligibility from four months to three, and has more than 94 per cent of its population over 12 fully vaccinated.