Two hundred Kiwis are expected to fly in to Australia as the travel bubble between the two countries kicks off this weekend.
New Zealand residents will be able to travel to NSW and the Northern Territory under the bubble arrangements.
They also won’t be required to go into hotel quarantine on arrival.
The New Zealand government, however, does require returning Kiwis to complete their two-week isolation period before joining the local community.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Kiwis are “very welcome” to visit Australia under the new travel arrangements.
Australian citizens, however, are not yet welcome to return the favour – with the NZ Government moving at a snail’s pace to approve reciprocal arrangements.
Mr Morrison has confirmed that Australia is currently in negotiations with Japan, Singapore and South Korea to open up travel opportunities with Australia.
“There are countries that have performed well on the health front and Australia and those countries are one of a handful that has had the same level of success.”
“But we have to go very, very cautiously. COVID-19 hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s still there – it’s no less aggressive today than it was six months ago,” the PM said.
“We want to open up Australia to the world. This is the first part of it,” said Deputy Prime minister, Michael McCormack.
