New Zealand will begin to reopen its borders on 27 February under a five-step plan that will see the country fully reopened to international travellers in October.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the reopening strategy will adopt a cautious approach, which begins with the waiving of hotel quarantine requirements for Kiwis stranded overseas by the pandemic.
She said New Zealanders in Australia could return home and self-isolate, rather than going into quarantine, from 27 February, followed two weeks later by Kiwis elsewhere in the world.
The border quarantine regime will then be progressively relaxed to allow in other groups such as skilled migrants, international students, Australians and then all vaccinated foreign nationals.
"It's time to move again," Ms Ardern said almost two years after sealing off the South Pacific nation to combat the pandemic.
"Families and friends need to reunite, our businesses need skills to grow, exporters need to travel to make new connections."
Under the new system, international arrivals will self-isolate for 10 days, rather than undergoing a 10-day quarantine monitored by New Zealand military personnel.
Ms Ardern said the isolation requirement could be reduced to seven day before the first phase of the plan commences.
"We will keep it under constant review. I do expect we will be at a seven-day (self-isolation) by the time we begin the first phase," she said.
Only 800 rooms per month are available under the current quarantine system, with demand regularly exceeding supply tenfold, and many New Zealanders criticised it as too harsh on international arrivals who came into the country fully vaccinated.
There were numerous stories of overseas-based Kiwis who could not get back to see dying loved ones or give birth in their homeland, such as pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis.
Ms Bellis prompted a rare about-face from officials this week when she was given a quarantine spot after claiming she would have to deliver her baby in Afghanistan after her initial request was rejected.
Ms Ardern said the quarantine system - known locally as MIQ - had been a key part of New Zealand's success containing the pandemic, with only 53 deaths recorded in a population of five million.
"The anguish of MIQ has been real and heartbreaking but the choice to use it undeniably saved lives," she said.
New Zealand initially planned to start easing border controls last month and fully reopen in April but delayed the move as the Omicron variant emerged.
She said New Zealand's high vaccination rate - almost 95 percent of the population is double-jabbed, with a third also receiving a booster - meant change was now possible.
The quarantine system will not be completely dismantled as it will still be needed to cater for unvaccinated international arrivals.
The key dates in the five-step plan:
Step 1: From 11.59pm Sunday 27 February, double-dose vaccinated Kiwis and other currently eligible travellers from Australia will be able to travel to New Zealand and undergo home isolation upon arrival.
Step 2: From 11.59pm on Sunday 13 March, the list of eligible travellers will include critical workers, and skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage, along with family members of skilled workers who may have been separated from their loved ones.
Step 3: Begins from 11.59pm Tuesday 12 April. Up to 5,000 international students will be allowed entry ahead of semester 2 as long as the visa requirements are met.
Step 4: Begins no later than July 2022. Entry will be allowed for Australians and all other visitors who can normally enter New Zealand without a visa.
Step 5: Begins in October and includes all other visitors who need a visa to enter New Zealand.
