Editorial: Who's first to join our Covid-free bubble?

There's lots of speculation around New Zealand's Covid 19 coronavirus-free bubble. Photo / Imagevixen

Opinion

EDITORIAL

Only a few months ago, living in a bubble meant refusing to change to reflect the outside world. Now in our coronavirus-free bubble, we are keen as beans, it seems, to reach out to the world, nearby at least.

There are rising calls for New Zealand to expand our bubble with neighbouring nations that have also defeated Covid-19. With all Pacific Island countries reportedly Covid-19 free – some never had any cases at all – they are desperately seeking Kiwi holidaymakers.

Former prime minister Helen Clark this week said New Zealand and Australia needed to consider now how to include Pacific island nations in our travel bubble.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said New Zealand is still prioritising Australia ahead of the Pacific Islands when it comes to expanding the bubble. "We are focusing on Australia first."

Ardern says New Zealand's closer economic relationship with Australian means "we put that in a special category".

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran says the airline, currently grappling with a rising clamour to refund cancelled tickets, believes the transtasman bubble would be active around August-September and he hoped a bubble with the Pacific would come sooner.

Meanwhile, a group of Australasian industry leaders have laid down a blueprint for opening an air corridor for business travellers as soon as next month - aligned with official guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

So how about we open business travel with Australia and similarly controlled holiday travel with the Pacific Islands - and pop a bottle of bubbles to celebrate?