Mat Barry (left) with his daughter Mya who he has not seen in more than a year. Photo / Supplied
It has been over a year since Tauranga father Mat Barry has seen his two children who live in Australia.
He's missed two birthdays, one being his son's 21st, as well as Christmas and everything in between.
But the invisible wall that has prevented their reunion is about to come down and Barry couldn't be more excited.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Australia can begin in less than two weeks at 11.59pm on Sunday, April 18.
Prior to the pandemic, Barry would see his children at least twice a year for two weeks at a time, and for five to six weeks over Christmas.
When the bubble opens, he plans to visit his children, who he has not seen since March 20 last year, in Perth.
What will he do when he sees them? He says he will "hold them tight and tell them how much I love them".
Barry is not the only one elated by the firm date of a transtasman bubble opening, with business leaders saying it will have "obvious economic benefits".
Tourism Bay of Plenty chief executive Kristin Dunne said Australians were the most significant international visitor market.
According to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, they contributed an estimated $70 million to the Coastal Bay of Plenty's tourism economy before the pandemic, in the year-ending January 2020.
"We have already seen internationally reliant tourism businesses in the region close their doors because of the devastating impacts of Covid-19.
"We know that the region's tourism businesses will welcome the hugely beneficial transtasman bubble."
Dunne said the organisation was preparing to welcome Aussies back to the area, predicting much of the first wave of travellers would be visiting their friends and relatives.
She said teams were working on market-ready plans to welcome Aussies to the Bay within the restrictions, targeting "high-value visitors" who will contribute not just economically, but also those who will give back in the environment, community and cultural areas.
Nigel Tutt, Priority One chief executive, said the tourism industry would appreciate any extra business.
"Equally, there will be plenty of Kiwis wanting to spend money overseas."
With Australia being New Zealand's second-largest trading partner, any strengthening of access into the market will be positive for exporters, he said.
"The bubble also has the positive effect of freeing up managed isolation space which should help reunite families, gain highly skilled migrants and get more Kiwis back home."
Helloworld Travel the Crossing Tauranga owner Steve Marshall said while a bubble would provide an obvious economic benefit, there would be a greater impact among people.
"We have had a significant amount of inquiry from our clients asking when they can visit friends and family in Australia," he said.
"A number of our clients are so looking forward to seeing new grandchildren who they have not yet had the opportunity to meet and hug."
Hospitality New Zealand accommodation sector Bay of Plenty chairman and 850 Cameron Motel owner Tony Bullot said it was frustrating it had taken so long for the bubble to go both ways.
However, the business would be welcomed.
He said pre-Covid, Australian corporates treated travelling to Tauranga as domestic travel.
"Staying for two to three days, because flying from Sydney to here is not much different than flying from Sydney to somewhere else."
He said accommodation providers had not been hiring more staff for the potential of future business as there was too much uncertainty.
He said the city had been lucky compared to the rest of New Zealand with a strong corporate market.
"Woohoo, we have a bubble ... we could've had a bubble three months ago."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said the bubble was "well overdue" with the likely first wave of transtasman tourists to mostly be visiting family and friends - which was one of the region's top type of visitors.
He said the Chamber has been a "big supporter" of the bubble as both countries showed they could successfully manage community infections.
It's not just the tourism sector that will benefit, he said, as there were plenty of people who need to do business across the Tasman, including the economic and social benefits of transtasman sports competitions getting back to normal.
He said it was important that there were strong contact tracing systems and readily available community testing in place when it happened.
"Being able to quickly identify and isolate those impacted by community spread events is going to be critical to the success of future bubbles."
He believed the bubble was needed well before the winter tourism season starts so tourists, event planners, and operators have time to gear up and make bookings.
Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty regional manager Alan Sciascia said there were some advantages as well as potential disadvantages.
A bubble with Australia would likely bring tourists to New Zealand who were keen for a break, he said, however he was unsure whether they would come to the region.
"Would those travellers come to the Bay of Plenty? Or would they prefer to come for a skiing holiday in Queenstown?"
Sciascia said it was unknown whether the money spent by Australians would exceed the money spent by Kiwis across the ditch, and any gain from foreign tourists could be offset by Kiwis choosing to travel overseas.
A bubble with the Cook Islands would be "extremely beneficial" to the Cook Islands economy at the cost to New Zealand destinations where Kiwis were currently spending their money, he said.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board Covid-19 incident controller Trevor Richardson said they would follow any guidance provided by the Ministry of Health and other relevant government agencies.
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