Hon Chris Hipkins More than 1400 of New Zealand’s border workers can look forward to less invasive testing for COVID-19, with an expansion of saliva testing at key frontline facilities, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says. “This is an important next step in our mandatory testing of frontline border workers,” Chris Hipkins said. “Saliva testing will complement the nasopharyngeal swab, which remains the gold standard for testing and which has played a key role in keeping New Zealand safe. “Extensive due diligence has been completed and we are now satisfied that a combination of the two tests, along with frontline managed isolation workers being very close to being fully vaccinated, will continue to provide the assurances we need at the border while reducing the level of discomfort among frontline staff.