The Prime Minister of New Zealand Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern and the Premier of Niue Hon Dalton Tagelagi have announced passengers from Niue can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand on March 24 NZT.
Prime Minister Ardern says Niue has no reported cases of COVID-19 and its stringent border controls mean we can commence quarantine-free travel to New Zealand from Niue.
Premier Tagelagi says Niue welcomes being able to travel to New Zealand without the need to quarantine.
"Niue is one of the few countries in the world that is completely free of COVID-19 and we pride ourselves on protecting our people through maintaining our borders and health system.
"This one-way quarantine free travel will enable Niueans to receive essential healthcare, access education and economic opportunities, and reconnect with their families in New Zealand."
The Premier adds Niue will maintain its current border settings, so only returnees with government approval may enter Niue and will need to quarantine or self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.
Officials of both governments are working towards ensuring all safety protocols and response capabilities are in place for the resumption of two-way quarantine free travel between the two countries.
Flights from Niue to New Zealand are on sale now following this announcement of a one-way quarantine-free travel route from Niue to New Zealand.
Air New Zealand will operate one return passenger service every two weeks on a Wednesday (NZT) using the airline’s A320 fleet with the first flight arriving into Auckland on March 24 at 7.30pm.
Air New Zealand chief executive officer Greg Foran says the airline is excited to be bringing our Niuean neighbours to New Zealand.
"Since successfully and safely launching the one-way quarantine free flights from Rarotonga earlier in the year, our business is primed to operate to more international destinations when it is safe to do so.
"This quarantine free travel option from Niue to New Zealand is another great step forward on the journey to safe travel between New Zealand and the Pacific Islands."
Returning Niuean citizens and residents will be required to quarantine on arrival into Niue. Customers travelling from Niue to New Zealand will be required to wear masks inflight and will arrive at Auckland Airport into a designated area separated from passengers arriving on quarantine flights.
To be eligible to enter New Zealand, people in Niue must meet particular conditions including:
not having been overseas outside of Niue or New Zealand in the past 14 days; not having had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case within the past 14 days; having maintained physical distancing (to the greatest extent practicable) from any person, at the airport at which they arrive, who did not arrive from Niue; having worn a face covering while in the airport at which they arrived in New Zealand; and there are no reasonable grounds (as determined by a suitably qualified health practitioner) to suspect that the person may have COVID-19. That might include, among other things:
– having had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case within the past 14 days;
– having any COVID-19 symptoms; and
– be awaiting a COVID-19 test result.
New Zealand public health officials will be undertaking random temperature checks of passengers on all flights arriving from Niue into New Zealand.
Auckland Airport will use a streamlined Safe Travel Path to process passengers arriving quarantine-free from Niue.
The Safe Travel Path creates separation from other arriving passengers by giving quarantine-free travel zone flights exclusive use of the international terminal for arrivals processing – with no other arriving flights within 90 minutes either side of the scheduled arrival time.
