Vaccine Passes Required to Enter Council Operated Public Facilities

Council has considered the use of vaccine passes within Council operated public facilities, using the public sector guidance, and has decided that the My Vaccine Pass is going to be a condition of entry for Council operated public facing locations and staff areas.

Effective from 25 January 2022 anyone entering the staff areas of Council's workplace will need to provide a Covid-19 Vaccine Pass before entering. The Covid-19 Vaccine Pass will also be required by any member of the public entering Council operated public facilities while the District remains in Red or Orange under the government’s traffic light system.

In addition, Council have consulted with staff, and the Chief Executive today announced to staff that all public facing Council roles will require full vaccination.

Mr Peter Beggs, Chief Executive, said that in making his decision to confirm the policy for public facing roles and Council operated public buildings, the key consideration was that the public felt safe when undertaking business with staff, and that staff felt safe at their work. The Council, through a majority decision, formally agreed on this at the full Council meeting on Thursday, 23 December 2021.

Effective from Wednesday, 22 December 2021 vaccination passes will be required for entry into the following Council operated public facilities:

• Te Matapihi / Bulls Community Centre
• Marton Library
• Taihape Library and Information Centre

The implementation of vaccine passes at these facilities has been timed to be in place before the Christmas / New Year holiday period, noting that these facilities remain open when much of Council is closed.

Effective from Monday, 17 January 2022, vaccination passes will be required for entry into the following Council operated public facilities:

• Front-of-house (High Street, Marton)
• Marton Council Chambers
• Taihape Council Chambers (or equivalent venue)

Council is currently working with its contractors to look at what requirements, if any, will apply to Swimming Pools, Waste Transfer Stations and Camping Grounds.

Once readily available, an acceptable alternative to a vaccine pass will be the result of a supervised rapid antigen test completed within the last 24 hours before entering and showing a negative result for Covid-19. The use of supervised rapid antigen test results as an alternative to vaccine passes is intended to provide an option to enable members of the community who do not hold a vaccine pass to access facilities where vaccine passes are required.

Where possible, Council will work with members of the public who are unable to comply with the policy to support alternative means of accessing services. Vaccine passes and rapid antigen test results will be checked at point of entry to the facility. The administration of entry requirements will initially be undertaken by contracted security personnel who will be located at Te Matapihi, Marton Library, Taihape Library and Information Centre, and at 46 High Street Marton. Security personnel will also be available to support behaviour management and compliance with other requirements such as mask wearing. The provision of security personnel will be reviewed after three months.

Vaccination passes and supervised rapid antigen test results will not be required in the green setting of the Covid-19 Protection Framework.

Our policy on vaccine passes will be reviewed from time to time in response to relevant occurrences such as new government directives and changes Ministry of Health guidelines. Such occurrences could include (but are not limited to) a change to NZ’s Covid-19 pandemic status, a change to the government’s Covid-19 response approach, additional government mandated requirements or legislation, or changes to the administration of rapid antigen testing.