Legalities around vaccine mandates have been moving quickly with government announcements swiftly followed by detailed legislation, sometimes leaving businesses with only days to implement the requirements. And in New Zealand, the issue has only been compounded by further lockdowns and restriction uncertainty.
“In particular, in New Zealand, one of the significant problems for businesses is that the guidance has been continually developing,” James Warren, Partner and Employment and Workplace Health & Safety Expert at Dentons Kensington Swan, told HRD. “The position has been continually moving, but government rules are not always clear about what is possible and what is not. As such, businesses have generally been left to their own devices to work out what the right course is.’’
Earlier this month, New Zealand announced new vaccine mandates for education, health and disability and correctional workforce public service sectors. These mandates rule that employees in these sectors are required to have had both jabs by early January 2022. Prior to this, the only vaccine mandate was for workers in the border sector - including the aviation and maritime sectors. The government also announced that there are plans afoot to expand the mandate further to close contact hospitality businesses, such as hairdressers, gyms, and restaurants. The details of this legislation are yet to be made public.
Since vaccines have been rolled out in New Zealand, businesses falling outside of the...
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