New Zealand not ready for trans-Tasman bubble, Ardern says

Australians will have to wait a little longer for the trans-Tasman travel bubble, with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying she intends to announce the finalised date on April 6.

"Our position has always been clear - opening borders to our nearest neighbour is a priority," she said.

"Not just for tourism and business, but for friends and family to reunite. We know what it would mean for people."

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She said her government aimed to proceed with caution and offer the certainty New Zealanders wanted.

Ms Ardern said no start date had yet been set, with a number of conditions that needed to be met, including measures to effectively contact trace Australian visitors, and appropriate preparations from airlines and airports.

Ms Ardern flagged the probability the bubble would be on a state-by-state basis, rather than a federal agreement.

"Officials have been working through the complexities of this for months," she said.

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However, Ms Ardern said she was confident the travel bubble would be opened soon, as New Zealand's elimination strategy shifted.

"The vaccine is allowing us to move our COVID defences away from what has essentially been a collective barricade," she said.

"We intend to vaccinate everybody who can be by the end of 2021. 2021 is the year possibilities begin to open up."