Free, two-way travel between Australia and New Zealand is a step closer to reality today, and we finally have a date to look forward to: April 6.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a media conference today: “We intend to announce the commencement date for trans-Tasman travel on April 6.”

Today’s announcement follows an amendment to Australian biosecurity laws, which reversed the emergency ban on free travel, allowing anyone who’s been in Australia for at least fourteen days to travel directly to New Zealand, sans exemption, as soon as New Zealand agrees to quarantine-free travel.

Related story: The trans-Tasman travel bubble could be operating as early as mid-April

Ms Ardern noted in an interview with TVNZ that country-to-country discussions had taken too long, leading her government to take a state-by-state focus.

“We’ve had 12 gatherings of our officials, between the two countries, to work on country-to-country arrangement,” she told TVNZ. “We’ve since said: ‘Look, let’s just move state by state because it’s actually just taking a bit too much work, a bit too difficult to get that country-to-country arrangement’.

“Let’s just operate as Australia has been operating with us. That’s helping to speed this up.”

Australia reopened its borders for quarantine-free incoming travel from New Zealand in March, after they were temporarily closed due to an outbreak in January.

Stay tuned for updates.

Related story: 4 New Zealand wine regions to bookmark for your first trans-Tasman bubbly