Staff at West Auckland's Waipareira Trust - a current testing site - will get saliva tests from Thursday instead of the nasal swab.  

The trust wants to trial saliva testing, saying the current nasal swab puts their healthcare workers at longer exposure from those getting tested.  

If the trial is successful, Waipareira will look to see if saliva testing can become the norm at testing stations. 

CEO John Tamihere spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan. 

LISTEN ABOVE