The opening of a trans-Tasman bubble is an exciting and welcome announcement for many, as family and friends from across the ditch will soon be able to see one another again. 

Any nervousness or speculation is expected but it is a step in the right direction on the way to becoming a global society once again. 

The travel bubble is a great idea, firstly because it opens nations with low-risk to COVID-19 up to one another and enables economies to begin some sort of “normality”. 

The ability to open such a bubble is testament to the incredible work both nations have done in keeping COVID-19 at bay, and keeping our economies from entirely collapsing at the same time. 

Australia and New Zealand have the opportunity to become closer and share wealth, but also get out in front of our competition worldwide. 

If this bubble proves successful it will open the doors to other nations, such as those in the pacific. 

Further afield there are other nations who are contending well against the virus, such as Singapore, but truth is I think that is further off than we think. 

While some people may be nervous about the reopening of the borders, I truly believe it is time we collaborate and work together with Australia to collectively open and weather the pandemic. 

There has been talk of having all international arrivals from overseas, who wish to enter the trans-Tasman bubble, transit and quarantine in a select few cities, and once their period is fulfilled, are then able to travel further within the bubble. 

I think it makes sense, and with the news our government has suspended all flights from India, it is becoming more likely. 

The trans-Tasman bubble is an opportunity to reopen communication and collaboration with Australia and potentially other nations, and provide an injection into our economies. Photo: Pixabay. 

Imagine that all international travellers arriving into the trans-Tasman bubble, must fulfil their quarantine requirements in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Auckland where there are enough beds to accommodate them. 

Once that period is done, they are then able to move elsewhere in the bubble. This is a bit like the “green zone” the government mentioned earlier this week in the bubble announcement. 

If the bubble expands to somewhere like Singapore, travellers must quarantine in that country before entering Australia or New Zealand. 

While I am not sure this is being discussed, I think it would be possible way of mitigating the risk. 

I am sure there are smarter people than I working on plans such as this, so for now all we can do is trust they are doing their job well. 

In a few weeks we will see the first Australian’s moving around New Zealand and I, for one, welcome them and they wallets to help out struggling tourism businesses get up and running. 

But truthfully, I welcome the dialogue and the collaboration our two countries can continually work on as we get back on our feet while the rest of the world continues to struggle with the pandemic. 

We are both, indeed, the lucky countries.