New Zealand's heightened sensitivity to Covid-19 is undoubtedly driving a tightening of the trans-Tasman bubble.
The Government is making no apologies for its safety-first mantra, as it prioritises keeping the virus, and in particular the feared Delta variant, out of the country.
New Zealand is on a charmed 131-day streak without community transmission, showing the effectiveness of its border policies.
With the least vaccinated population in the developed world, it cannot afford an outbreak.
The "Team of Five Million", referred to ad nauseam by Government leaders through the pandemic, ranks 125th in the world for vaccinated people per capita.
Committed to the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, just 15 per cent of Kiwis have received their first jab, placing it below Australia on 18 per cent and the global average.
That's a key reason why Chris Hipkins, the Covid-19 Minister, on Friday reversed a decision to allow Kiwis stranded in NSW by the latest outbreak to come home.
"If the lockdown isn't working and the people haven't been following the rules ... then that does add additional risk for us here in New Zealand," he said.
NSW sees cases surge
NSW has today recorded 77 new local Covid-19 cases, as the state's treasurer admits lockdown will likely be extended and more government assistance will be needed.
One person has also died - the first Covid-19 death of the current outbreak.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that of the 77 new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday, only 32 were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.
The person who died was a southwest Sydney woman in her 90s. She was a close contact of a locally-acquired case and was deemed virus-positive yesterday.
She is the first person to die since the Bondi cluster emerged on June 16, and the 57th person in NSW to die since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.
The woman is also the first person to catch Covid-19 locally in Australia in 2021 and die.
"Over 50 of the 77 (cases) are close family members, close family members of those who've been infected," Berejiklian told reporters.
"When you get Covid, unfortunately those most impacted are those closest to you, and tragically we've seen one older person die and I want to extend my deepest condolences to their family and loved ones."
There are now 15 Covid-19 patients in NSW in intensive care, with five ventilated.
Bubble closures becoming more regular
Last month, the government acted outside its public plan and closed the entire bubble for a week, fearing widespread cases from the Northern Territory gold mine cluster.
"The recent outbreaks and lockdowns across the Tasman, along with the recent scare in Wellington, have served to highlight the risks," Ardern said.
"We need to stay vigilant."
That vigilance has seen the bubble partially shut for two of its first three months, including a month-long closure to Victoria and a week-long complete shutdown.
The clunky responses are devoid of nuance, meaning residents of Tweed Heads aren't able to travel when NSW is suspended due in Sydney, despite their distance.
Similarly, when cases in Brisbane close the Queensland bubble, New Zealand shows little interest in allowing flights from Townsville or Cairns.to cases
New Zealand has now tightened the screws further, mandating a costly pre- departure test (PDT) for all Australian visitors whether they're leaving a place with cases or not.
"Most people should be able to get a test for a couple of hundred dollars," Hipkins said.
"It's just one of the realities of the way the world is at the moment."
Even Tourism Minister Stuart Nash would not go in to bat for his hard-hit operators, while acknowledging the extra cost would defer visitors.
"I make no apologies whatsoever. Keeping New Zealanders safe is by far the number one objective of the government," he told AAP.
"I don't think you'll get any pushback from any Kiwis anywhere."
Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) chief executive Chris Roberts hopes they can land a more nuanced position.
"PDT is one tool amongst many that the government has ... it should be used when it is required but we hope it does not become a permanent feature," he said.
"Travel is increasingly complicated and expensive, and for many people who would like to come here, it may just be getting too hard."
The trans-Tasman bubble resumed in time for one week of Victorian school holidays, with planes bounding into Queenstown during ski season this week.
Unfortunately for other tourism operators hoping for a trans-Tasman windfall, a further tax-grab is coming.
Citing cabinet documents obtained under disclosure laws, the TIA claims the government is planning to raise border levies in December from $20 to $63 ($A59).
"It is too soon, too impact on the traveller and will slow down the recovery for thousands of tourism businesses," Roberts said.
Nash - who is hoping to use Covid-19 as a reset to New Zealand's tourism industry, focussing on high-value visitors - did not deny the tax take was coming.
The Napier MP said "a lot of consultation has still to occur" on the final amount, foreshadowing "reasonably substantial change".
Barely a bubble: Trans-Tasman travel woe
April 19 - Six months after Australia began allowing quarantine-free travel from New Zealand, New Zealand reciprocates, creating the trans-Tasman bubble.
April 23 - Bubble closes to WA, lasts five days.
May 7 - Bubble closes to NSW, lasts three days.
May 25 - Bubble closes to Victoria, lasts 28 days with stranded Kiwis allowed home after a fortnight.
June 23 - Bubble closes to NSW. Suspension is ongoing until at least July 16.
June 29 - Bubble closes to all states.
July 5 - Bubble re-opens to Victoria, Tasmania, SA, ACT, lasts seven days.
July 10 - Bubble re-opens to WA, NT, lasts 12 days with stranded Kiwis allowed home from Queensland.
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