Auckland Council has confirmed that all of its staffed facilities and council-run community events will require the use of vaccination passes until the end of June 2022.
The decision extends the council’s interim position, which was put in place in early December 2021.
Mayor Phil Goff says he supports the extension, which will help keep the council’s staff, customers and community safe.
“The move to Orange in the Covid-19 Protection Framework does not change the requirement for vaccine passes at staffed facilities,” Goff said.
“This is because the council’s top priority remains the safety of people on its premises, and to reduce the chances of the spread of Covid-19 within them.
“Summer is a popular time for events, and we want to ensure everyone attending our council-run events is safe. Requiring vaccine passes reduces the risk in situations where gathering sizes mean social distancing is not practical or is not an effective control.”
Councillor Alf Filipaina, chair of the council’s Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee, said he was fully supportive of the staff in this decision.
“Extending the requirement for vaccine passes is not an easy decision. We know Aucklanders love their libraries, art galleries, community centres, visitor centres and more, and we want as many people as possible to make the most of and enjoy our region,” Filipaina said.
“We want to stress that people without vaccination passes will still be able to access our services, and this extension will allow us to continue to develop and implement alternative service options for customers who do not have a vaccine pass.
“Some services may be delivered to unvaccinated customers in a different way than before, but we will ensure these are still accessible to everyone, such as our libraries’ highly popular Wi-Fi, digital and ‘Click-and-Collect’ services.”
Auckland Council chief executive Jim Stabback says Auckland Council’s interim customer position was designed to be flexible.
“This decision was made to manage the risk of Covid-19 and protect the health and safety of our community, customers and staff,” Stabback said.
“The council has now decided to extend our interim customer position until end of June 2022, and we will undertake reviews of the risk assessment that informs this position each month. This will allow us to remain adaptable to any changes in Government health policy or risk levels, or if Auckland moves to Green.
“Continuing our interim customer position will also enable alignment of several other key council policies, including the staff vaccination policy and the contractor vaccination policy that are currently in development. This alignment will allow for a unified long-term approach across the organisation.”
Auckland Council facilities that require vaccination passes:
- Gyms/Fitness Functions
- Learn to swim programmes (for customers older than 12 years)
- Recreation/Leisure Centres
- Pools and aquatic centres
- Holiday parks
- Libraries
- Arts facilities
- Council-run events
- Community centres
- Animal shelters
- Service Centres (integrated and standalone)
- Cemetery offices (alternative arrangements can be made)
- Visitor Centres – Arataki, Botanic Gardens
- Tipping Point (Waitākere) recycling centre
Council facilities that do not require vaccination passes:
- Baches, camping sites and lodges (Regional Parks)
- Community venues for hire through booking
- Cemeteries (excluding offices)
- Waste transfer stations
