Prime Minister Scott Morrison is likely to be one of the first Australians to skip New Zealand's quarantine queue when the long-awaited trans-Tasman bubble is finally launched.
On Tuesday afternoon, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce a start date for quarantine-free travel for Australians to visit New Zealand.
Given all Australian states except Western Australia are already open to visitors from New Zealand, this will effectively open the trans-Tasman bubble.
With the bubble will come the resumption of tourism, the reuniting of families, and the return of business-as-usual diplomacy.
The trans-Tasman PMs meet formally at the start of each year for the Australia-NZ Leaders' Meeting, and it is Aotearoa's turn to host in 2021.
Rather than hold the meeting virtually, both countries have deferred the talks to allow for an in-person gathering.
"We were due to have our leader-level meeting at the beginning of the year. Our hope had been to do that face-to-face," she said in Wellington on Tuesday morning.
"We both are keen to get on with it as soon as possible and the venue is due to be New Zealand and so we're looking forward to welcoming him here at a date that can be mutually decided upon."
The two leaders spoke on Easter Monday as NZ gears up for the border changes.
At the last meeting, Ms Ardern , saying "do not deport your people, and your problems".
The NZ leader has not left the country since, while Mr Morrison has travelled to Japan to meet new prime minister Yoshihide Suga.
Queenstown has been mooted as a possible venue given NZ's need to spruik its suffering tourism industry.
"Those leader-level talks are always incredibly important to both sides," Ms Ardern said on Tuesday.
"I imagine that will be something we'll set a date around in fairly short order."
Australian and New Zealand borders have been shut to almost all non-citizens since March last year, with both countries requiring arrivals to spend a fortnight in quarantine before entering the community.
Success in fighting the virus has prompted calls for the two allies to re-open their borders to each other.
Australian states began scrapping their restrictions last October, but to date, New Zealand is yet to do so.
Kiwis have been fearful of a return of the deadly virus to their country, but University of Auckland professor Shaun Hendy said the re-opening was worth the risk.
Stacey Brown is welcomed home by her partner Adam Drape as she arrives from New Zealand arrive at Sydney International Airport in Sydney in October 2020. Source: AAP Image/Dean Lewins
"It's not greatly increasing the risk to New Zealand... and it will be good for many people with family in Australia," he told Radio NZ.
"We are going to have to make these small incremental risks.
"We do want to get something like normal life back over the next year."
Families separated by the Tasman Sea have been among the loudest voices calling for a resumption of normal travel.
Tourism-related industries and businesses are also desperate for travel to resume.
"We're all looking forward to hearing what the New Zealand government has to announce," Auckland Airport executive Scott Tasker said.
Mr Tasker was one of 40 representatives, including airports, airlines and government officials, in the Trans-Tasman Safe Border Group which last June put together a logistical plan for the aviation system to re-open.
"It was to really provide a blueprint to both governments on how trans-Tasman quarantine free table could function," he said.
While Australia picked up the report and put it into action, New Zealand left it on the shelf.
"Australia determined it was safe to consider opening inbound travel to New Zealand last October," Mr Tasker said.
"It's pleasing to see that the New Zealand government now obviously do see that conditions are conducive to some serious thinking about the possibility of opening."
In any re-opening scenario, borders would be closed temporarily in the case of new outbreaks.
