Council to lift vaccine pass requirement for premises

Waipa¯ District Council will lift its vaccine pass policy for council owned and operated buildings and facilities as of 11.59pm Monday, chief executive Garry Dyet says.

The policy change comes after the Government last week announced its changes to vaccine pass requirements and vaccine mandates, with the latest figures showing the country is past the peak of Omicron.

“We have always said that we would regularly review our policies, and be led by advice from the Ministry of Health and central Government in regards to any significant changes,” Garry says.

“As of Monday, April 4, at 11.59pm, this policy will be lifted. We have faith in our stringent health and safety protocols and will rely on these to keep our staff safe and well.”

The policy, put in place from December 13, means anyone aged over 12 years and three months would need to have their vaccine pass sighted for entry to Te Awamutu Library, Cambridge Library, Te Awamutu Museum, council buildings including front counters and meeting spaces, council-managed community halls, and council dog control facilities.

The Perry Aquatic Centre and Te Awamutu Events Centre are both managed by GoWaipa, which has its own vaccine pass policy.

It has also been agreed the council’s contractor vaccine policy for contractors coming on-site at council premises, and in principle, the staff vaccination policy, will be lifted at the same time.

“It takes a lot of work to put these policies in place, and so to reverse them, there is a lot of work to be done, which we will do over the coming days to make sure everything is in place for when these policies lift,” Garry says.