- CURRENT NEWS / Australia
- 19 April 2021
In recent months, both the Australian and New Zealand governments have announced procedures and regulations allowing superyachts to travel between the two countries, a welcome sign.
New Zealand to Australia
Regulations have been updated and superyachts based in New Zealand for over two weeks now have the right to apply for a quarantine exemption to enter New South Wales and Queensland without quarantining for 14 days.
By applying and being successfully granted the exemption, vessel occupants who have been in New Zealand will be able to step off as soon as they receive a negative COVID-19 test result following their arrival into New South Wales without quarantine.
For those arriving in Queensland, they too will require the same exemption but the procedures on the ground are slightly different.
The decision comes as a result of the low number of COVID-19 cases and little community transmission in both Australia and New Zealand. Recent months have also seen the establishment of an air travel bubble for New Zealand and Australia.
“The last two vessels to apply to enter Australia from New Zealand have been approved to do so without quarantine requirements upon arrival in Sydney,” said David Good, CEO of Superyacht Australia.
“Each vessel injects millions of dollars of economic contribution through the extensive use of contractors and tradesmen whenever they are in a port or marina.”
Good explained, “Australian shipyards are some of the best in the world.”
“It will be great to see these yachts making use of our skilled marine trades and shipyards, which will keep these vessels in the region for longer.”
With the Tokyo Olympics currently scheduled in a few months, Good believes it is likely that many of these vessels will remain in the Pacific for at least the remainder of 2021.
Australia to New Zealand
Concurrently, New Zealand has launched a bubble of its own for yachts coming from Australia. Similarly, superyachts will need to seek an exemption to enter New Zealand based on certain conditions being met.
First, the crew on board must be regular, permanent crew and they can count their time at sea toward quarantine with any additional days at an isolation berth to make up 14 days. Additionally, the yacht also needs to have NZ$50,000 of services such as berthing or refit services booked.
With an exemption in place, the yacht can transit and then the owner, guests and family can make use of the air travel bubble and its own regulation in place to meet the yacht.
“We’ve been waiting over a year and are very excited that yachts and their owners leaving from Australia can come to New Zealand.”
“It presents the opportunity for cruising and superyachts to enjoy New Zealand’s cruising grounds and superyacht regattas such as the New Zealand Millennium Cup and the various regattas planned for 2022 by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron,” says CEO of the NZ Marine Industry Association, Peter Busfield.
“Combined with superyachts now being able to charter in both New Zealand and Australia, we see Australians and Kiwis able to get their overseas experience in style by chartering a superyacht in either country for a holiday of a lifetime.”
