New Zealand drops last of its travel restrictions

Young Asian couple celebrating success at Roy's Peak Lake Wanaka New Zealand
By James Harrison


Yesterday, New Zealand’s borders fully opened for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the nation was “open for business” after the last COVID travel restriction was officially lifted, completing the final stage of the phased reopening which began in April.

This means that travellers from around the globe can now enter New Zealand without following any additional Covid-related protocols.

Ardern described it as “an enormous moment” in a speech to the China Business Summit yesterday.

“It’s been a staged and cautious process on our part since February, as we, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,” she said.

“New Zealanders are hosts. Manaakitanga [hospitality] streams through our veins and we open our arms to tourists and students, including from China, which prior to 2020 was New Zealand’s largest source of international students, and second-largest source of tourists.

“For those looking to make their journey here, haere mai, we welcome you.”

This update means that cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts can dock in New Zealand ports.

NZ tourism minister, Stuart Nash, said that the return of cruise ships would be a major boost for local economies.

“Most cruise visits are during the warmer months of October to April … It will be full steam ahead for the industry, who can plan with certainty for the rest of the year and beyond,” Nash said in a statement.

Prior to the pandemic, tourism and international education were the biggest and fourth-largest exports, respectively, for New Zealand. Tourism employed more than 225,000 people.

Eve Lawrence, general manager of Haka Tourism Group in Auckland, said the removal of restrictions is a “fantastic step” towards the recovery of NZ’s tourism and travel industry.

“I’m currently travelling with Tourism New Zealand in the USA and the UK and there seems to be some apprehension regarding the potential for future restrictions, however, overall demand is high,” Lawrence told Al Jazeera.

“Our biggest challenge now, as a nation that relies on working holiday visa holders, is immigration processing times, settings and mass staff shortages, as we need to be able to manage the demand.

“But this seems to be a global issue looking at what we’ve dealt with across LA and Europe thus far on this trip.”

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