Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and Cook Islands coming

             NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern                              Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown 

Quarantine-free travel between New Zealand and the Cook Islands will become a reality in the New Year, following an Agreement signed by Jacinda Ardern and Mark Brown, Prime Ministers of the respective countries.

The Agreement is the result of a visit by New Zealand officials to the Cook Islands a few weeks ago and the assessment made by them and the conversations between the two leaders.

The two Prime Ministers and their Councils of Ministers have instructed officials to ensure that all the measures are in place to facilitate quarantine-free travel between the two countries.

Ms Ardern said that that Arrangement recognises the special ties between New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

“It will allow people to travel more easily between our two countries, while acknowledging that the priority remains to protect our populations from Covid-19,” she said.

Cook Islands is rated among the top tourist destinations in the South Pacific (PlanetWare Image)

Central to recovery

Mr Brown said that the free movement of people between New Zealand and the Cook Islands is central to the close relationship and integral to the Cook Islands’ recovery from Covid-19 impact.

“This Arrangement is the next step towards resuming many aspects of life in the Cook Islands that have been disrupted by Covid-19, including access to health and education, and reuniting family and friends,” he said.

Ms Ardern said that New Zealand acknowledges the Covid-free status of the Cook Islands and that access will be given to travellers from the Cook Islands to New Zealand as a first step in a phased approach to resumption of two-way quarantine free travel between the two nations.

“Quarantine-free access for travellers from the Cook Islands to New Zealand will provide for the movement of people for delivering and accessing essential services, while allowing officials to finalise preparations for a safe return to two-way quarantine-free travel,” she said.

Air New Zealand starts preparations

Radio New Zealand quoted Air New Zealand Chief Executive Greg Foran as saying that the Airline’s teams are busy preparing to start two-way travel between New Zealand and the Cook Islands, working closely with the governments and airports.

“Safety will continue to be top priority for Air New Zealand and we are looking forward to being able to provide people the opportunity to travel again,” he said.

Edgewater Resort and Club Raro Chief Executive Andrew Whittaker described the Agreement as ‘huge news’ and said that Cook islands has been suffering since the borders were closed.

“A formal Agreement in place is an early Christmas present. We understand the timeframe that the Agreement has taken but as we know. We are excited about the news and will hopefully hear a bit more about the progress over the next few days and before Christmas,” he said.

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