COVID-19 Vaccination Policy

Summary document current December 2021

Purpose

At the heart of our approach is the health, safety and well-being of our staff, members, customers, and wider local government sector, and ensuring we can continue to operate our core business and deliver courses and events safely and effectively when the Government implements its COVID-19 traffic light system.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Policy (the Policy) will allow us greater certainty for our members, and for our branches, and enable us to deliver events and courses at all levels of the traffic light system.

The Policy has been developed following engagement with our team, positive support for vaccine requirements from our members and advice from external health and safety experts.

As a leader in the local government community, Taituarā seeks be an exemplar in health, safety and well-being best practice. This has informed our decision-making and will be demonstrated in our practices and policies.

Scope and application

The Policy applies to all Taituarā employees, members (including the Taituarā Executive Committee) contractors, facilitators, and volunteers. The Policy also sets out expectations of visitors to our workplace and at events and courses run by Taituarā. This includes members, customers attending face-to-face events and meetings, clients, guests, tradespeople and service providers/visitors.

How the Policy applies to our members and customers

From 6 December 2021 all staff and visitors to Taituarā offices must be vaccinated. Some exemptions to this do apply (e.g. for couriers) but strict safety measures are in place. The Taituarā office will be locked, and vaccine certificates will be scanned to enable entry. When you arrive at our office, please:

  • scan in using the NZ COVID Tracer app,
  • have your My Vaccine Pass ready, even if you are a regular guest,
  • leave your face mask on until your My Vaccine Pass has been scanned,
  • use hand sanitizer on arrival,
  • stay in the designated meeting area or reception.

From 1 January 2022, vaccine passes will be scanned at all Taituarā face-to-face activities and events for all attendee

For the purposes of the Policy, being fully vaccinated means

  • having received all doses of a government approved COVID-19 vaccine; and
  • providing Taituarā with evidence of your vaccination eg a vaccine certificate where vaccination is a requirement of your role or attendance. This will be scanned.

Showing proof or evidence of your vaccination status requires you to show Taituarā either your vaccine passport, (click here to get proof of your vaccination status) or a letter or other official documentation from the Ministry of Health or your GP.

Medical exemptions

We are waiting for further guidance from the Government on how medical exemptions will be considered under the traffic light system. Until then, we have made the decision to not open in-person courses/events to people with medical exemptions (from 6 December 2021) until the guidance is received and we can consider and update that part of this Policy.

Our Policy will be reviewed to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our members, keeps our people safe, and adapts and responds to changes in the environment and as new government mandates or technologies come in to play.

Vaccination records of customers and members

We will not be holding medical information about members or customers. It is likely everyone will need to show a valid vaccination passport for each event or course attended.

How the Policy applies to Taituarā staff

We will assess the roles of our people and the potential risk they pose to others in performing their role on a case-by-case basis. Control measures will be established for each category of role.

  • If a role is designated as high-risk, being vaccinated and following other safety controls is a requirement. These are roles that deliver our face-to-face training and events with members and customers or regularly work in these environments and includes our leadership team.
  • If a role is designated as medium or lower risk staff will be required to be vaccinated or comply with all other safety controls at all times to mitigate risk of transmission. This will include physical distancing and wearing masks in the office and when meeting stakeholders, not attending any meetings or gatherings of 10 or more people in the office, not attending any Taituarā events or courses, and working from home when New Zealand is at levels orange and red of the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
  • To protect our people going forward, we will require all new employees be vaccinated as a condition of employment, excepting of course where it may discriminate on the grounds or religious beliefs, medical exemption or disability.

Please email us for general enquiries regarding the Policy or with any course or event enquiries.

Review

This Policy comes into effect on Monday 6 December 2021 and will be reviewed and either;

  • re-confirmed or amended no later than 18 May 2022, or
  • at such time that there are changes to official guidance from the Ministry of Health or the COVID-19 Protection Framework (traffic lights).