All quarantine-free travel from Australia to New Zealand is on hold until at least Tuesday night, as outbreaks of Covid-19 in several states continue to grow.
The Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum worked on protocols and advice for the governments on the trans-Tasman travel deal, with tourism trade worth more than $5 billion to the two countries.
Co-chair of the forum Ann Sherry believes the attitude of some towards Covid-19 vaccination is putting everyone at risk.
"Spread of the new variant, in Australia anyway, is now in primary school aged kids. So I think all the adults who've been sitting around thinking 'we'll be fine' maybe need to think a bit more about the impact that has on others around them, rather than their own personal preferences," she told Checkpoint.
"I think we're getting to the point now where it's hard to imagine why you think it would be okay for you to get it if you can spread it as far and wide as this case has gone in Australia.
"If you've got no health reason to not get vaccinated, then I'd question why you haven't."
So far about five percent of the Australian population has been vaccinated. In New Zealand it is about eight percent.
Sherry said people need to be incentivised to get vaccinated.
"Maybe when there is a lockdown, people who have been vaccinated could travel, and those who haven't been vaccinated shouldn't travel.
"But we haven't got to that point yet. I think what we're learning is the lockdown stops spread, and that includes shutting down the bubble, but we've got to get to a better place to manage this.
"I was in Queenstown a few weeks ago. It was pretty quiet but they were optimistic about the school holidays and the next ski season with Aussies coming to New Zealand. But that's not looking so optimistic now, so I think we need a better plan.
"This plan is okay, but it's pretty conservative and in the long-term we might all be safe, but we won't have a lot of stuff we can do. We'll lock ourselves down to very small economies, very small communities, and I'm not sure how sustainable that is over a two to three-year period."
Sherry said the trans-Tasman bubble has been very valuable for people with businesses, and families in both countries.
She said both countries need to give their Covid-19 vaccination rollout "some acceleration", especially as Australia and New Zealand have countries nearby with connections.
"I watched imagery last night of fighting in Fiji over someone who'd stolen crops. Now when you get to the stage in your near neighbours where people are fighting over food because they're so dependent on tourism, so dependent on both Australians and New Zealanders coming in and out, and them getting work in both Australia and New Zealand, can we really in good conscience sit by and watch that happen?
"There's a bigger world around us. A lot of places very dependent on Australia and New Zealand in the region, and they're doing it tough at the moment.
"Their economies are collapsing and that puts a lot of vulnerable people at risk. And I personally don't think we should just sit by, watch that happen and say 'we're okay so see ya'.
