New Zealand travel bubble: what we know

Will you need to be vaccinated? What happens if there’s an outbreak? Here’s what we know on the NZ travel bubble.

New Zealanders on Air New Zealand flight NZ103 return to Sydney Airport from Auckland. Picture: Brett Costello

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said the trans-Tasman bubble will commence at 11.59pm on April 18, declaring its opening as the “start of a new chapter in our COVID response and recovery, one that people have worked so hard for”.

It will mark the first border opening since free flow travel was halted between the two countries more than a year ago.

Under the new arrangement, Ms Ardern said New Zealand would now treat Australia as a “region of our own”, but warned travellers to prepare for the possibility of flights to be suspended or paused if there is another outbreak.

Last month Ms Ardern said a number of concerns needed to be resolved before the bubble could be implemented, citing potential for outbreaks, issues with contact tracing, transiting passengers and whether all states would be open to travellers as the major barriers. But this afternoon she said her cabinet had implemented a plan to ensure safe travel between the two countries.

Here’s what we know.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Picture: Getty

What is the trans-Tasman bubble?

The trans-Tasman bubble is a two-way travel corridor which will allow Australians and New Zealanders to travel between the two countries without having to undertake hotel quarantine at either end.

While the prospect of a travel bubble has been discussed since the beginning of the pandemic last year, politicians and health officials suggest that the containment of COVID-19 in both countries means there is a low enough risk of transmission, permitting safe quarantine-free travel.

Hasn’t travel between the two countries already been happening?

Under the federal government’s “safe travel zone” scheme, New Zealanders have been entering some Australian states without having to undertake quarantine since October.

However, this was only a one-way arrangement, requiring return passengers to New Zealand from Australia to complete and pay for 14 days of isolation.

The trans-Tasman bubble removes this requirement.

Will you need to be vaccinated?

Ms Ardern said there will be no vaccine requirement for travel between the two countries. However, in some instances, the bubble will require additional pre-departure testing.

What are the new rules?

Australians who want to travel quarantine-free to New Zealand will be subject to some strict new protocols, including downloading Jacinda Ardern’s COVID-19 trace app and wearing masks.

Arrivals from Australia will only be on planes with others who have been in this country – including crews – for 14 days and they will be separated from other international arrivals at New Zealand airports.

Ms Ardern said Australian travellers will have to wear masks on flights and be subject to temperature checks.

On arrival, passengers will be taken through “green zones” at the airport – meaning there’ll be no contact with those arriving from other parts of the world and going into managed isolation or quarantine facilities.

What will happen if there’s an outbreak?

Ms Ardern said any outbreaks would require restrictions on a state-by-state basis, saying “once we know about a case in Australia we will have three possible responses when it comes to flights and access to our border: continue, pause or suspend”.

In her press conference this afternoon, she sketched a hypothetical scenario:

“If a case is found that is quite clearly linked to a border worker in a quarantine facility and is well contained, you‘ll see travel continue in the same way as you could if it happened here in Australia.”

However, if a case is found not to be linked to a border or if a state responded with a short lockdown, Ms Ardern said she would “likely pause flights from that state in the same way we would stop travel into and out of a region in New Zealand”.

“If we saw multiple cases of unknown origin, we would likely suspend flights for a set period of time,” she said.

When can I book tickets?

You can book tickets now. Air New Zealand has already made daily flights available between Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney.

The airline is also planning to launch its new route to coincide with the opening of the travel bubble, offering flights between Auckland and Hobart.

In Australia, Qantas and Jetstar are preparing to ramp up flights in time for the bubble’s opening on April 18.