New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced her cabinet has agreed to form a trans-Tasman bubble with Australia by the end of March 2021.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NZ government has come under increasing pressure to restore pre-COVID travel arrangements, ending the need for a mandatory 14-day quarantine for international arrivals, from Australia.
Quarantine-free travel will also require Australian government approval and COVID case numbers staying at rock bottom.
Ms Ardern said the NZ government would name a precise date "in the New Year once remaining details are locked down".
New Zealand has also agreed to start a bubble with the Cook Islands, which has not had a single case of COVID-19, within the same timeframe.
Ms Ardern said one-way travel from the Cooks to New Zealand would come before any opening to Australia.
For faster access to the latest Newcastle news download our NEWCASTLE HERALD APP and sign up for breaking news, sport and what's on sent directly to your email.
IN THE NEWS:
Australian Associated Press