a PCR test taken a maximum of 48 hours before the scheduled departure of your first international flight to New Zealand

• a supervised rapid antigen test (RAT) taken a maximum of 24 hours before the scheduled departure of your first international flight to New Zealand
• a supervised loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test taken a maximum of 24 hours before the scheduled departure of your first international flight to New Zealand.

Latest update — 16 June 2022
From 21 June you no longer need a pre-departure test
Travellers whose first international flight to New Zealand departs after 11:59pm (NZT) 20 June 2022 do not need pre-departure tests. This applies to people entering New Zealand from anywhere in the world.

If your flight to New Zealand departs before 11:59pm (NZT) 20 June 2022, you still need to meet pre-departure testing requirements.

Most travellers still need to be vaccinated, and take 2 rapid antigen tests (RATs) after arriving in New Zealand.
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The government has confirmed pre-departure tests will be scrapped from 20 June.

Covid-19 Response Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said the government had intended to remove the requirement by 31 July but as cases continued to decline despite an increase in travellers, there was evidence the measure could now be lifted.

"Around 90 percent of international arrivals undertake their required testing once they are in the country, with only a 2-3 percent positivity rate. So we don't anticipate a significant increase in border cases once the requirement is lifted," she said.

The availability and cost of getting a test had also increasingly become a barrier to people travelling to New Zealand, she said.

Travellers would still be required to self-test on day 0/1 and again on day 5/6. Anyone who tested positive would need to get a PCR test to allow the government to understand what new strains of Covid-19 were arriving at the border, she said.

"Also from Monday evening, passengers transiting through New Zealand will no longer need to be vaccinated, nor be required to complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration.
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The Haka House Hostels are moving into properties barely exited by previous occupants. During the pandemic, New Zealand saw a contraction of available budget accommodation, with some large hostel chains diversifying or closing entirely.YHA International, which pulled out of New Zealand in 2021 after 89 years, closed all 11 properties across the country in November 2021.

They walked away from an almost new $9m, 128-bed hostel at Lake Tekapo which opened in April 2019. The property quietly reopened under new ownership 12 months ago. The Herald reported that 10 former YHA properties were bought by ‘overseas interests’ last year, with investors including Haka Hospitality’s Thai business partner GCP.
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YHA Sales Success
Today, we bring you important news.
We can now advise members and partners that our four remaining properties (YHA Auckland International, YHA Aoraki Mt Cook, YHA Queenstown Lakefront, and YHA Franz Josef) have been sold. The four other properties previously sold to RPZ (YHA Rotorua, YHA Wellington, YHA Lake Tekapo, and YHA Wānaka) have also been on-sold to the same purchaser. In addition, the Christchurch Hereford Street lease is also being signed over.

YHA New Zealand is delighted that the purchaser is a hospitality group focused on providing quality budget accommodation. We appreciate that you may have questions regarding who has purchased the properties. Once they have made public their purchase, then we will be able to talk about that more freely.

What does this mean for YHA?
These sales have ensured that all YHA New Zealand's liabilities are now cleared, which is a hugely positive outcome for the organisation. We extend our warmest thanks to all our trade and supply partners who stood by us during this time. Founded in 1932, YHA now embarks on a new chapter in our long and storied history. We are effectively in a position to become a 90-year-old business start-up, which must be some kind of record.