Local Focus: Ryman's Havelock North retirement village slowed by Covid 19 restrictions

Ryman Healthcare's $100 million Havelock North development was conspicuously quiet last week, despite constructions approved under Level 3.

It was thanks to Covid-19 red tape for the construction industry.

Ryman spends about $500m annually on construction, with the 330-resident Havelock North retirement village one of six construction sites throughout New Zealand.

"We are going as fast as we can to get everyone back," Ryman corporate affairs manager David King said.

"We want to get on with it, we really do.

"We've got a lot of interest in the village but it's about doing it right, so that we don't go backwards - so we don't lose the gains that we've made through the lockdown."

The delay was due to the assessment of Covid-19 management plans from all contractors before work could begin.

The plans detail health plans including contact tracing and social distancing.

"We already have staff back on-site and we'll be getting the subcontractors back on-site as soon as we can. As soon as we're happy and they are happy that everything has been done."

A temporary "health-assessment structure" was being built.

"We are adding a nurse on-site," King said.

"So staff coming on-site will have their temperature checked and they'll also sign a health declaration which says, I'm well and I'm ready to work.

"Basically we are using a similar system to all our contractors who visit our villages that are operating already.

"We've held webinars with our contractors and we've sent them out guidance, so we are trying to make it easy to get them back."

He said some contractors had innovative health-plan ideas that were worth sharing.

"It will be different to how everyone worked before.

"I guess it's like life for all of us. There is going to be complexities, there is going to be a different way of doing things and there is going to be a heck of a lot of innovation, we think, in the way things are done."

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