A joint proposal from Chambers of Commerce in Australia and New Zealand is advocating for the Governments to open the Australia-New Zealand 'bubble' with the Bay of Plenty economy set to benefit from the proposed first step.
The proposal encourages getting the gateway open as soon as possible to kickstart trade, business, travel, tourism, events – and save jobs, with regular flights between Canberra and Wellington as the first step.
The Canberra-Wellington flights are proposed as a way to prove systems and processes are in place for safe and effective movement of people between the two countries.
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said the proposal was a great sign of unity between the Chambers on both sides of the ditch and their collective support for local businesses.
"The test flights are critical to demonstrating that there are processes and safeguards in place to keep Covid-19 at bay and allow the free movement of people, while helping the survival, recovery and sustainability of our tourism, export, event and travel sector.