Waipā District Council to lift vaccine policies on April 4

Waipā District Council will lift its vaccine policy for Council owned and operated buildings and facilities as of Monday, April 4 at 11.59pm, Chief Executive Garry Dyet says.

The policy change comes as central Government announced yesterday its changes to vaccine pass requirements and vaccine mandates, with 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,” Dyet says.

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

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 who have their own vaccine pass policy in place.

It has also been agreed that the Council’s contractor vaccine policy for contractors coming on site at Council premises and buildings, and inprinciple, the staff vaccination policy, will also 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,” Dyet says.

“These are changing times. We have now been living in this pandemic for two years and we have always aligned our position with advice from the Ministry of Health and central Government, while also relying on thorough risk assessments, and health and safety protocols to make the right decisions for our staff and for the community we serve.”