“We want to cut red tape at the border,” he said. “When I visited Australia earlier this year, Prime Minister Rudd and I agreed to streamline the customs and immigration at international airports for trans-Tasman flights.

“Our thinking is that the more we can get Trans-Tasman travel to feel like a domestic flight, the more Australians will come to New Zealand.

“I expect we’ll be able to make some announcements about this when I head to Australia again in August, but it’s fair to say things are progressing well,” Key said.