Cook Islands bubble hopes as PM visits

No move on opening border to Australia

There are hopes a two-way bubble with the Cook Islands could become a reality soon, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is being accused of dragging her heels over the transtasman bubble.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown will visit New Zealand next week to meet Ardern, raising hopes a two-way bubble is about to get the sign-off. Brown will be the first leader to visit New Zealand in more than a year, since border closures began.

The prospect of New Zealanders being able to come and go from the Cook Islands without quarantine is set to be top of the agenda — the Cook Islands expects to have all the elements required for the bubble in place by the end of the month and all that was required is for the New Zealand Government to agree to it.

Yesterday, Ardern would not say whether the Cooks bubble was likely to get the sign-off, but said the impact of the lack of tourism on the Cook Islands had been significant.

Ardern also expected to discuss the vaccine roll-out with Brown, saying it would provide an “extra buffer against risk”.

New Zealand has offered to help provide vaccines to Pacific Island countries, especially the two “realm countries” — the Cooks and Niue.

New Zealand allows people from the Cook Islands to come to New Zealand without quarantining, and has just added Niue to that list. However, the Government is yet to give approval for New Zealanders (other than Cook Islands citizens and residents) to travel to the Cook Islands.

National Party Judith Collins has renewed calls for a transtasman bubble, saying Australia had shown it would be a lifeline for New Zealand tourism.

She has started a petition on the issue, saying there is no excuse to delay further and it would free up space in MIQ currently being used by the “low-risk” people from Australia.

Ardern conceded it could make things more complicated if Australia went ahead with a proposal to open up its borders to more travellers from Singapore. However, she insisted she had not given up on it.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian have questioned why New Zealand is dragging its heels over quarantine-free travel from Australia.

New Zealanders have been able to travel to Australia without quarantine since October.