At long last, the trans-Tasman bubble will open on April 19.
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On Tuesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed the keenly-anticipated date for the removal of quarantine for Australian travellers.
Given most Australian states have already scrapped the need for quarantine for Kiwis, the decision opens up the bubble, and returns the trans-Tasman allies to pre-COVID travel arrangements.
"We are now able to take this next step and it is a world-first," Ms Ardern said.
The decision will delight hundreds of thousands of families separated by the pandemic.
It's also a shot in the arm for New Zealand's ailing tourism industry.
Australia provides more visitors than any other country to New Zealand, and the announcement is expected to see a flood of visitors across the Tasman.
In the past 24 hours, Air New Zealand provided a major clue to the April 19 date when it upscaled its quarantine-free flight offering from that date.
The decision also ends a tortured 11-month journey from when the bubble was first agreed to its implementation.
Ms Ardern and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison signed off on an in-principle goal to re-open borders last May, but outbreaks and planning challenges saw New Zealand delay re-opening.
The New Zealand leader acknowledged those that had suffered due to the necessary border arrangements.
"The Director-General of Health considers the risk of transmission of COVID-19 from Australia to New Zealand is low and that quarantine free travel is safe to commence," Ms Ardern said.
"One sacrifice that has been particularly hard for many to bear over the past year has been the separation from friends and family who live in Australia, so today's announcement will be a great relief for many.
"Like everyone else ... I have family and friends in distressing situations because we have had this border in place.
"The bubble will give our economic recovery a boost and represents a world leading arrangement of safely opening up international travel while continuing to pursue a strategy of elimination and keeping the virus out."
Australian and NZ borders have been shut to almost all non-citizens since March last year, with both countries requiring arrivals to spend a fortnight in quarantine before entering the community.
Ms Ardern also announced a new traffic light style system to guide Kiwis while travelling overseas, saying they may be subjected to prolonged stays in Australia or quarantine on return in the event of outbreaks.
"Quarantine free travel will not be what it was pre-COVID-19, and those undertaking travel will do so under the guidance of 'flyer beware'," she said.
"People will need to plan for the possibility of having travel disrupted if there is an outbreak."
Australian Associated Press
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