Some governments are being branded laggards, for failing to come up with an international system to verify people have had the Covid-19 tests and vaccinations they say they have.

Pre-departure Covid-19 testing for travellers arriving in New Zealand from the United Kingdom could be in place by mid-January.

Minister for Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins yesterday revealed planning is currently underway for pre-departure risk reduction measures.

He says these include selecting the most effective forms of testing in the circumstances.

However, international aviation commentator Irene King says that Governments have been laggards by not coming up with international agreements around testing. 

She told Tim Dower we need to be able to trust the tests other countries say have been done.

"We've got to have a lot of confidence that these certificates, when they are issued, are actually credible."

King says that there are restraints around what airlines are able to do legally, which prevents them from going ahead and making these tests mandatory themselves.

Additional risk measures for other countries are also being considered.

Returnees will still need to go through the 14-day managed isolation and quarantine process once they arrive in New Zealand.

Hipkins says they're going beyond what's been done in the past, to stay ahead of what appears to be a worsening situation globally and, in doing so, reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading during transit and entering our managed isolation facilities