The return of quarantine-free travel across the Tasman could be possible within weeks, with New Zealand committing to forming a bubble with Australia by the end of March 2021.
On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern used her final press conference of the year to announce her cabinet has signed off on a timeline for the bubble.
Despite an absence of community cases on either side of the Tasman, Ms Ardern had resisted pressure to open NZ's borders to Australia, saying "I'm not willing to take risks right now".
"The big focus for me right now is everyone in New Zealand to be able to experience and enjoy a free summer ... New Zealanders desperately need a break," she said.
"We haven't taken risks before that mean New Zealanders won't be able to keep their freedoms, and I certainty don't want to take those risks now."
Ms Ardern said the timeline was conditional on Australia's support and case numbers remaining low.
An exact date would be given "in the New Year once remaining details are locked down".
Those details include a resurgence plan should a new Australian outbreak occur which might strand thousands of Kiwis outside their homeland.
It also includes agreements from airlines, who are keen to return to the skies, and segregation of airports and air crews, given flights to high-risk areas will be occurring concurrently.
The NZ government has come under increasing pressure to restore pre-COVID travel arrangements, with thousands of Kiwis in Australia eager to get home, and tourism operators keen for the uptick in business.
New Zealand's hotel quarantine booking system is booked out until March, with about 40 per cent of the bookings taken from Australian-based Kiwis.
On the weekend, Ms Ardern's government also agreed to start a bubble with the Cook Islands, which has not had a single case of COVID-19, within the same timeframe as Australia.
Ms Ardern said one-way travel from the Cooks to New Zealand would come before any opening to Australia.
