The Prime Minister is set to discuss the possibility of creating a trans-Tasman Covid-19 bubble when she attends Australia's Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
It's a move she believes has not been done before, as she joins Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, state premiers and territory chief ministers during their Cabinet meeting.
"It is fair to say such a meeting is without precedent and highlights both what's happened with the co-operation at a state level in Australia, and then also the mutual importance of our two countries and economies."
She said both countries' "strong record of fighting the virus has placed us in the enviable position of being able to plan the next stage in our economic record and to include trans-Tasman travel and engagement in our strategy".
However, do not expect a trans-Tasman bubble in a few weeks.
"I wouldn’t say that it would be in the very, very near short term," Ms Ardern said.
"It’s very safe from the conversations we’ve had to date we have a very similar perspective of the kind of timeline that both countries will want to run to."
She said it relied on the health of the populations.
"We don’t want to give away the gains we’ve made and nor is Australia wanting to see any risks either, but we also see a lot of opportunity," she said.
Ms Ardern said there were significant advantages of opening up a trans-Tasman bubble that included domestic tourism, business and trade.
"It is about considering ourselves within a bubble... You can see why it is going to take a bit of time."
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