New Zealand's borders are fully open for the first time since March 2020, when they shut in an effort to keep out Covid-19.

Immigration authorities will now begin accepting visitors with visas and those on student visas again.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it an "enormous moment", adding it was part of a "cautious process".

Most visitors will still need to be fully vaccinated, but there are no quarantine requirements.

The country's maritime border has also reopened, with cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts now allowed to dock.