The ACT Party leader says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's delay in announcing when the trans-Tasman bubble will begin is "simply not good enough".
In a post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, Ardern marked April 6 as the date she will reveal when there will be a quarantine-free travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand.
But ACT leader David Seymour says her lack of transparency makes it appear as though she's treating the media like five-year-olds.
"It's simply not good enough for the Prime Minister to treat the media like five-year-olds and tell them there are 'layers of complexity' 'which I won't bore you with now' behind why she can't say more about a trans-Tasman bubble before April 6," he says.
"How condescending."
Ardern says opening up a green travel zone with Australia is "highly complex" and that she knows "many New Zealanders are nervous" about the risk of transmitting the virus.
"Opening up our borders to our nearest neighbour is a priority - not only for tourism and business but also in terms of reuniting friends and families," she says.
"We know what it would mean for people but we also know that many New Zealanders are nervous, they don't want to put everything we've fought so hard for at risk and they want us to proceed with the same vein as our overall COVID response - and that is with caution."
But Seymour says Kiwis do want to know the details that are holding her up.
"Why is it so hard for this Government to produce and explain its plan in a timely fashion?
"From airport to airline readiness to existing protocols already being used by Australian states and here by contact tracers, there doesn't appear to be any good reason why we don't have quarantine free travel today."
National Party leader Judith Collins agrees, and says it's time for action.
"Our tourism sector has been pleading for help for a year now. Kiwis have been separated from their families for far too long.
"The Government has had months to work out the complexities of a trans-Tasman bubble. It's unbelievable that it still hasn't figured this out."
Australia is already considering a travel bubble with Singapore and Collins worries that if Ardern doesn't move faster, New Zealand will be left behind.
"The difference between Australia and New Zealand's Governments could not be more evident than on this issue.
"Scott Morrison made quarantine-free travel happen months ago while Jacinda Ardern seems to mention a new reason not to every time she's interviewed."
