Mayor Phil Goff has welcomed the announcement of a trans-Tasman bubble which will allow families and friends to reunite and give a much-needed boost to the city’s tourism and hospitality sectors.

“It is time for Auckland to begin step by safe step to reopen to the world,” he said.

“Tourism and hospitality businesses will be enthusiastic about Australian visitors - our city’s biggest single source of international tourists – returning to Auckland, giving a much-needed boost to jobs and incomes.

“But having faced the need on four occasions to implement Level 3 or 4 restrictions, we don’t want to put at risk what we have worked so hard to attain: the ability within our borders to enjoy normal freedoms and activities.

“That justifies the caution shown by the Government in not rushing to open borders and working out the protocols and the actions that will need to be taken when there is risk of transmission within th

© Scoop Media