A second Covid-19 vaccine has been has given provisional approval by New Zealand's medicine regulatory body.
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine secured provisional approval for people over 18 after being assessed for three months by Medsafe.
Once provisional approval is given, Ministry of Health officials provide advice to Government to then make a decision around using the vaccine.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said Janssen was safe, effective and "a great addition to our vaccine options".
"While our plan remains to ramp up the roll-out using the Pfizer vaccine from here, having the option of the Janssen vaccine increases our choices and provides us with flexibility if we need it.
"As a single dose vaccine, it may be useful in hard to reach locations or emergencies, or for those who cannot get the Pfizer vaccine."
He said a decision to use by Government would be expected in August.
New Zealand paid for two million doses of the vaccine in a November 2020 advance purchase agreement.
A week ago, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said Medsafe was in the final stages of a decision.
The Janssen vaccine went to Medsafe for approval on April 7 . However, a day after the process began Medsafe sought additional data.
Two months ago, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield estimated Medsafe advice on Janssen could be two to three weeks away.
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