Coronavirus: New Zealand delays decision on travel bubble

New Zealand will name a date for a trans-Tasman bubble with Australia on April 6.

Sydney International Airport rolled out the welcome mat for New Zealanders in October. Picture: AFP

New Zealand will name a date for the commencement of the long-awaited trans-Tasman travel ­bubble with Australia on April 6.

It was hoped Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would name a date on Monday at her post-­cabinet press conference but ­instead she named a series of conditions that needed to be met ­before the bubble could proceed.

Speculation of a two-way bubble was heightened by the Australian government’s move this week to ease a ban on international travel to New Zealand.

Since mid-October, New Zealanders have been able to undertake quarantine-free travel to some Australian cities but there are no reciprocal arrangements.

Ms Ardern opened her press conference by saying it had been a year since New Zealand went into level four lockdown, based on the country’s strategy of eliminating COVID-19.

“One year on, New Zealand’s overall COVID strategy remains the same: elimination. But how we eliminate is shifting,” she said.

“We intend to vaccinate everyone who can be vaccinated by the end of 2021. As a result of the vaccine, 2021 is the year when possibilities begin to open up and we get to lock in the gains that everyone worked so hard for in 2020.

“A key opportunity … is quarantine-free travel with Australia. There’s been much speculation over this. Opening up our borders to our nearest neighbour is a priority. We know what it would mean for people.”

She went on to say that her government knew many New Zealanders were nervous, and people wanted them to “proceed with caution”.

“Opening up a green travel zone with Australia is highly complex. Officials have been working through the complexities,” the Prime Minister said. “Before any final decision is made by cabinet, we’ll need to be satisfied the conditions have been met.”

These include an appropriate response framework in the event of cases in Australia; effective contract tracing for travellers; robust technology for transiting passengers; appropriate regulatory mechanisms; and the readiness of airports, airlines and agencies.

Virgin Australia has begun selling seats on flights across the Tasman from June 19, in the hope the bubble will be open by then.

Qantas has operated a minimal network across the Tasman since the one-way bubble began last year, and a spokeswoman said flights would increase in response to the April 6 announcement of a two-way bubble starting date.