'We are ready': New Zealand slams 'slow moving' Australian states for stalling trans-Tasman bubble when others like Tasmania are 'set to go' TOMORROW
- Trans-Tasman bubble would allow flights between Australia and New Zealand
- New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters has said his country is ready
- But the plan is being held up by some Aussie states who are reluctant, he said
New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters has said his country is ready to start the trans-Tasman bubble but is being held up by Australia.
Governments have been talking about the plan to allow travel between the two countries since 25 March but have not yet agreed a starting date.
The plan is being held up because some Australian states are against it and the federal government wants a consensus before pressing ahead, Mr Peters said.
For many Australians the attraction of New Zealand is adventure sports such as skiiing in Queenstown and Wanaka
'We've run into the road block of federalism so to speak,' he told the Today show on Wednesday morning.
'We've got some states ready to go tomorrow, like Tasmania, and some who are reluctant to go.
'We're not making this by way of any allegation other than to say we have to go at Australia's speed,' he said.
Mr Peters, who leads the New Zealand First Party in coalition with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Labor Party, slammed Australian states that are holding back the plan without naming them.
Experts say international tourism between the two countries will particularly benefit regional areas including coastal towns (stock image)
Mr Peters, who leads the New Zealand First Party in coalition with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Labor Party, slammed the Australian states that were holding back the plan. Pictured: Queenstown, New Zealand
'We should not have states being held back by the slowest mover, so to speak, so let's get going,' he said.
'Let's not restrain the movement between our two countries based on the slowest state in Australia.'
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously said he wants inter-state borders to come down at the same time as the international border with New Zealand.
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But he has not ruled out pressing ahead with the plan while state borders remain in place.
'It may well be that Sydneysiders can fly to Auckland before they can fly to Perth, or even the Gold Coast for that matter,' he told the National Press Club in May.
New Zealand has no coronavirus restrictions except for border controls after eliminating the virus on Monday.
The travel bubble will help revive the ailing tourism industries in both countries.
New Zealand is Australia's second-biggest international tourism market after China with 1.4million visitors a year while 1.5million Australians go to New Zealand every year representing the county's biggest market.
Before coronavirus stuck, tourism supported 924,600 jobs in Australia and 229,566 jobs in New Zealand - around eight per cent of the workforce in each country - but almost all of these roles have been affected by the crisis.
Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, a senior Lecturer in Tourism Management at University of South Australia, said restarting travel will help repair the immense damage inflicted on the tourism industry due to COVID-19.
'If we want to get our restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs open again then restarting tourism is a key way to revive ourselves,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'Australia and New Zealand are good travel markets for each other because we are cousins and we understand each other well - we are both big drinkers, and we enjoy sport and wine and food.
Governments have been talking about the plan to allow travel between the two countries since 25 March but have not yet agreed a starting date. Pictured: New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters
Dr Higgins-Desbiolles said international tourism between the two countries will particularly benefit regional areas.
'Aussie and Kiwi tourists are generally repeat visitors to each other's countries meaning they don't just visit the big cities,' she said.
'For many Australians the attraction of New Zealand is adventure sports such as skiiing in Queenstown and Wanaka, while Kiwis head to Australia for warmth in places like the Sunshine Coast.'
'Some 71 per cent of Australian tourists rent cars in New Zealand, meaning they visit diverse areas,' she added.
Ms Ardern in April became the first world leader to join an Australian Cabinet meeting in more than 60 years when she was invited to discuss the travel bubble.
Mr Peters compared the fight against coronavirus to the First World War when Australian and Kiwi troops fought alongside each other in Gallipoli and France.
'Both of our countries have had enormous success in the way we attacked COVID-19. We see this as the Anzacs, one people in a bubble, albeit two countries.
'Time is of the essence in terms of our economies and we see ourselves as one for the purpose of economic recovery,' he said.
Ms Ardern in April became the first world leader to join an Australian Cabinet meeting in more than 60 years when she was invited to discuss the travel bubble. Pictured: Surfers' Paradise on the Gold Coast
