Border crossings down as Trans-Tasman travel bubble deflates

Trans-Tasman travel made up almost three-quarters of all New Zealand border crossings in July 2021.

'The Trans-Tasman travel bubble has been the main driver of border crossings since it started in mid-April 2021,' population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said.

'The fewer border crossings seen in July 2021 reflect ongoing pauses in travel from some Australian states and territories in July, and the suspension of quarantine-free travel from Australia to New Zealand in late July.'

Provisional data for August 2021 shows a further fall in the number of border crossings. This also reflects the suspension of quarantine-free travel from New Zealand to Australia in mid-August. (see Quarantine Free Travel with Australia suspended and Quarantine-free travel to Australia is suspended).

In July 2021, 36,500 New Zealand residents returned from a short-term trip overseas. This is well below the 340,200 arrivals in July 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of those who specified the main country visited in July 2021, 63 percent (22,300) were returning from a trip to Australia and 30 percent (10,700) from the Cook Islands.