Wairarapa's three councils have mandated vaccination for "high-risk" roles, using the WorkSafe risk assessment framework for consistency.
(File image) Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Wairarapa's three councils have mandated vaccination for "high-risk" roles, using the WorkSafe risk assessment framework for consistency.
In an agenda for Masterton District Council's Audit and Risk Committee, it is stated that all new staff would need to be fully vaccinated.
"Any [existing] staff who are not fully vaccinated will be required to have an individual covid risk mitigation plan signed off by their strategic leadership team manager."
This follows consultation with staff in December regarding "possible options for council to respond to the ever‐increasing complexity of the covid pandemic".
"Staff were advised that recent Covid updates across the country show there was the potential for a significant increased risk of community transmission in the Wairarapa in 2022," the report to the committee said.
"This was based on lifting travel restrictions for Auckland residents, increased travel during the summer period, and the potential spread of the more transmittable covid variant omicron.
"They were told that this had driven the need for Masterton District Council to ensure it took appropriate measures to reduce the risk of transmission of covid in our workplace."
A South Wairarapa District Council spokesperson said its vaccination policy was based on a role-based risk assessment which was carried out late last year.
"That led to us mandating high risk roles, which meant that the role holder had to be vaccinated, and for the vaccinated status to be maintained.
"This assessment sits alongside the education and health mandates imposed by the government as part of the national covid response.
"All current staff and new starters must abide by this policy."
They said vaccine passes were required for certain council locations.
This meant staff accessing those sites needed to be vaccinated.
Carterton District Council's policy "strongly encourages" all employees to receive and maintain vaccination as the main form of defence against covid-19.
Mandatory vaccination applies to roles that are frontline and require staff to deal with members of the public; roles that require staff to deal with members of the public in uncontrolled environments; and roles deemed to require vaccination as a result of a risk assessment process for health and safety purposes.
"Pleasingly, 95 per cent of our staff are already vaccinated with two doses and are being encouraged to get their booster shots when they are eligible," a recent Carterton District Council report stated.
*This article and headline have been updated. It originally cited a Masterton District Council council document which stated all staff would need to be fully vaccinated. In a statement, the Council said it had made error in the report.
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