The meeting will take place via video conference tomorrow. Ardern, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, state premiers and territory chief ministers will be present.
Ardern said a trans-Tasman bubble would be created when Australia and New Zealand feel the response to the coronavirus on both sides of the Tasman means there won’t need to be a 14-day quarantine for people travelling between the nations.
The prime minister sought to temper expectations, and said both countries need to make sure they have locked in their gains and have health precautions in place.
“Don’t expect this to happen in a couple of weeks’ time,” she said.
Speaking to media on Monday, Ardern said the government will make the decision on whether New Zealand will move to Alert Level 2 next Monday, saying we need every day between now and then to know for sure if the gains made in Level 4 have been locked in.
“Stay the course – we cannot afford to squander the good work to date when our end goal is so close and in reach,” Ardern said.
The prime minister said in making its decision, the government will note if there have been low to no new cases of coronavirus in the days preceding.
“We need to not get ahead of ourselves, stick to our bubble and to finish the job that we started,” she said.
Ardern said New Zealand has done better than many other countries it compares itself to. “Your efforts, New Zealand, have put us at the front of the pack and everyone should feel very proud of that.”
Details of Alert Level 2 will be shared on Thursday, but Ardern emphasised that no decision on moving out of Level 3 has been made at this stage.
