The much talked about travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is set to kick off from October 16.

From that date, New Zealanders will be allowed to fly to New South Wales and the Northern Territory without having to quarantine, provided they have not been in a designated hotspot.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack confirmed that from October 16 at 12.01 am, New Zealand residents and travellers who had not been in a designated COVID-19 hotspot in the prior 14 days would be permitted to travel into New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

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However, the system will initially be one-way, meaning Australians cannot go to New Zealand for the time being.

The  New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her borders would remain closed for the time being.

“We have resisted that because we want to keep New Zealanders safe,” Jacinda Ardern told reporters on Friday.

“We will not open the borders for quarantine-free travel with Australia until it is safe to do so because doing it too early risks losing all of the freedoms that we already have in our economy.”

All other Australian states remain closed to normal international travel.