Kia orana kotou katoatoa,
As you’re aware, New Zealand has been taking a phased approach to reopening its borders. Over the past month we have progressively updated our border settings to adjust the requirements for MIQ, isolation, and border entry to allow for greater connection between New Zealand and the world, and to adapt to current health risks globally.
Where possible we’ve endeavoured to keep our partners updated with border and health changes before they come into effect. As such we would like to inform you of a border change decided by Ministers last evening, which will come into effect for travellers from the Cook Islands on 8 April. The decision is to align some of our settings for travellers from the Cook Islands with our settings from other countries who have COVID in the community.
On 8 April all travellers from the Cook Islands will be given RAT tests upon arrival and be required to self-test and report the results on days 0 and 3 following their arrival.
The effect of these changes is not foreseen to impact on a travellers journey in any way. For the past month most, if not all, travellers have been provided RAT kits on arrival to New Zealand. However, travellers from the Cook Islands have not been required to use them.
We wish to confirm with you that our quarantine free travel arrangement remains in place. Pre-departure testing is not required for travellers from the Cook Islands. Likewise, medical certificates following a COVID positive test result and period of isolation are not required for travellers from the Cook Islands.
A medical certificate before travel is applicable for countries from which pre-departure testing is a requirement (not the Cook Islands). It is designed to allow people to fly in cases where a PCR test has picked up an historic COVID infection. It is also applicable in cases where a person has flu-symptoms (and is prevented boarding by their airline) but is not COVID contagious, having already had the illness previously.
Kia manuia
Heléna Cook
Deputy High Commissioner
New Zealand High Commission Rarotonga | Te Aka Aorere