The 12-month trial that let eligible Chinese and Pacific passport holders fly from Australia to New Zealand with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), instead of a visitor visa, reached the end of its initial period on 3 November 2026.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) says there is no immediate change. Eligible travellers can continue to apply for and use an NZeTA to travel from Australia until further notice, while the trial is evaluated and decisions are made about next steps.
The New Zealand Embassy in China posted the same message in late October: travellers are not affected right now, and more information will follow once next steps are decided.
Who is covered
According to INZ, you may use an NZeTA instead of a visitor visa if you:
- are travelling to New Zealand directly from Australia (you have entered Australia through immigration and are flying from an Australian airport)
- hold a passport from China or a Pacific Islands Forum country
- hold an eligible Australian visa that is still valid when you check in for the New Zealand flight
- hold a valid NZeTA
Transit through Australia does not count. Flying to New Zealand from any country other than Australia also does not qualify.
Pacific Islands Forum countries listed by INZ include Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Cook Islands and Niue passport holders already visit New Zealand without a visa.
INZ lists many eligible Australian visa subclasses, including visitor, student, temporary graduate, partner and several work visas. Check your Australian visa grant notice or VEVO, and the INZ page for the full list.
What an NZeTA lets you do
With an NZeTA under this pathway, INZ says you can:
- travel without first applying for a New Zealand visitor visa
- stay for up to three months at a time
- travel multiple times while the NZeTA is valid, as long as each arrival is from Australia
- transit through New Zealand for up to 24 hours
An NZeTA is not itself a visa. If you are granted entry at the border, INZ issues a visitor visa then. You cannot work for a New Zealand employer while visiting on this pathway.
INZ advises requesting an NZeTA at least 72 hours before travel through the official NZeTA app or website, and paying the required fees.
How big was the trial
INZ says analysis of the first six months of the trial showed an estimated NZ$215 million boost to the economy and an increase in Chinese visitors of more than 40%.
As at 30 September 2026, INZ reported more than 136,470 NZeTA requests from Chinese and Pacific nationals since the changes started on 3 November 2025, with 135,972 approved and 199 refused. More than 119,069 Chinese and Pacific visitors had arrived. INZ also reported more than 15,551 transit visas approved for Chinese nationals in that period.
Those figures cover arrivals under the trial pathway, not every Chinese or Pacific visitor to New Zealand.
What families and travel planners should do now
If you are booking a China–Australia–New Zealand trip, or helping relatives visit after time in Australia, the practical message from INZ is: the pathway still works today, but it is under review.
Confirm eligibility before you buy non-refundable tickets. Keep a visitor-visa fallback if someone is only transiting Australia, holds an Australian visa type not on INZ's list, or is flying from somewhere other than Australia.
Tour groups and short study visits often combine Australia and New Zealand. We previously looked at how Chinese short-term study tours are putting pressure on Auckland school places. Immigration settings for visitors sit alongside wider election-year debate on visas and residency — see our summary of party pledges on immigration.
Watch Immigration New Zealand's NZeTA pages for any change after the evaluation. Until INZ announces a different rule, eligible Chinese and Pacific visitors travelling from Australia can keep using an NZeTA.
Sources: Immigration New Zealand, Chinese and Pacific Island visitors travelling from Australia; Immigration New Zealand, Background on the NZeTA; New Zealand Embassy in China social update (October 2026).