PM looks ‘beyond bubbles’

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has hinted at the use of vaccine passports in fully reopening New Zealand to international travel.

In a pre-budget speech at an event put on by business advocacy group Businessnz and Fujitsu yesterday, Ardern said the Government’s goal at this stage of the Covid-19 response was tomove to ‘‘reconnecting our people to the world’’. She touched on what this could look like ‘‘beyond the bubbles’’, as the vaccine rollout ramps up.

‘‘The first question we’re asking ourselves ... do we need to have completed our vaccine rollout in order to open our borders beyond the bubble arrangements we have? Will people who have been vaccinated in other countries be able to come in even if we haven’t finished our own rollout?’’

Ardern said the answer was ‘‘possibly’’, but there were two things that would need to be considered. The first was how effective vaccines are in preventing transmission of Covid-19, based on emerging evidence. Early data was promising, Ardern said.

The second was having the flexibility to respond to any new variants of the disease that could pose a risk to New Zealand’s immunity.

‘‘As work continues internationally on vaccine passports, New Zealand will remain actively involved in those discussions, whilst also considering other tools for managing and monitoring risk at the border,’’ Ardern said.

She said New Zealand is currently at ‘‘phase two’’ of its plan, a ‘‘holding pattern’’ until Kiwis are vaccinated.