September 24 2021
There are nine new cases of Covid-19 in the community today. All are in the Auckland region, Dr Caroline McElnay said. The total cases in the outbreak has now reached 1031 with 902 now recovered.
A major Bay of Plenty company is giving staff $100 if they get both Covid-19 jabs before December 10.
Pine manufacturer Claymark, which has sites across the central North Island and employs more than 550 people, is offering its staff $50 per Covid-19 vaccination.
The move comes as businesses considerhow to encourage staff to become fully vaccinated - including Westpac, which is offering half a day off work.
Claymark executive director Paul Pedersen believed "incentivising and helping" staff was the "right thing to do".
"The timber industry in New Zealand is a major contributor to the economy," he said.
"We must do everything we can as an industry to protect our staff and our communities while adding to the national vaccination effort."
He said it would "speed up" the vaccination rate in Rotorua, Thames, Katikati and Te Kuiti - helping the communities in the "long-term fight" against Covid-19.
Families of Claymark staff members were also encouraged and welcome to attend the onsite vaccination sessions - however, the cash incentive was only for staff.
Claymark general manager sales and marketing Bruce Barclay said the incentive had been "welcomed" by staff.
The vaccination drive would kick off next week, with nurses coming into the Rotorua site to issue the jab.
Claymark forklift driver Wills Martin. Photograph / Andrew Warner
Barclay said the drive was centred around "being proactive in the community" and contributing to their employees' quality of life. The move was in line with other recent wellbeing initiatives being rolled out company-wide, he said.
These included challenges centred around healthy eating and exercise, with a gym opening at the Rotorua site in the coming weeks.
"A healthy worker is a happier worker. Health is really important, and we are committed as a company to providing help where required to that individual and to that community," Barclay said.
Meanwhile, Westpac New Zealand has recently introduced paid special leave for employees to attend Covid-19 vaccination appointments.
Roughly 160 Westpac staff in the Bay were eligible to use half a day of special leave.
Bay of Plenty regional manager Susan Grey said the news had been received positively by staff, with "many of them using the leave soon after it was made available".
Grey said the company wanted to make it as "easy as possible" for staff.
Westpac Bay of Plenty regional manager Susan Grey. Photo / Supplied
"We know time is precious to everyone at the moment, so offering paid leave to get vaccinated saves them having to get the jab in their own time, or use their annual leave to do so.
"We also just conducted a company-wide survey, which found 94 per cent of respondents have either had at least one jab or are booked in to get their first, which is really encouraging."
Patchell chief executive Brent Whibley said they were not "actively" pushing any stance on employees.
However, they were paying staff for time taken to get vaccinated if they attended their appointment during work hours.
"We did not want work time to be a barrier."
He said there was "a mix" of opinions on vaccination within the workplace, however he believed the majority of Patchell employees would opt to get it.
"The vaccination process is now quick and easy from what I have personally experienced, so there is no excuse not to get it done."
Scion chief executive Dr Julian Elder said the Ministry of Health contacted the Rotorua research organisation earlier this year when they had excess vaccinations offering available appointments.
Uptake had been "strong", he said.
"Scion staff quickly booked all available spots and were able to receive their first and second vaccinations during their normal working hours," Elder said.
"Many of Scion's staff are from overseas, with families back home who have been fighting Covid. Getting vaccinated gives them hope that they will be able to travel and see family again."
Rotorua Lakes Council people and organisational development director Joe Akari said there were no incentive schemes in place for council staff to get vaccinated.
However, the council had provided staff with information about how to book their vaccine and encouraged them to do so, he said.
While it did not hold data around how many staff had been vaccinated, Akari said "from conversations that teams are having with each other, it would seem there has been a willingness for a lot of staff to play their part and get vaccinated".
Pig and Whistle Historic Pub and Capers Epicurean owner Gregg Brown said the government needed to do a "better job" at providing guidelines around encouraging vaccination at work.
"It is something that we are thinking about, which is something every frontline business owner should be thinking about," he said.
"I am not sure it should fall back on business owners, but if it did we need to look at all options."
Pig and Whistle Historic Pub and Capers Epicurean owner Gregg Brown. Photo / NZME
Though he had not come up with a "clear standing" on the matter, Brown said he felt more inclined to use an incentive scheme to motivate staff to get the jab.
Justin Hutton from River Rats Raft and Kayak said all of his full-time staff received their first vaccine "as soon as they were able".
"It is just important because we are in contact with lots of different people."
Rotorua Economic Development chief executive Andrew Wilson. Photo / Andrew Warner
Rotorua Economic Development chief executive Andrew Wilson said they had heard "directly" that hospitality and tourism business owners were all "very focused" on implementing all Covid-19 safety measures, including encouraging staff to get vaccinated.
"We are supportive of all businesses encouraging vaccination amongst staff."
Ministry of Health group manager Covid-19 vaccination operations Astrid Koornneef said the ministry encouraged all businesses to support their workers to access vaccination without facing costs or disadvantages.
The Unite Against Covid-19 website had a new Business toolkit that provided "comprehensive information" about how employers can help their workers get vaccinated.
Koornneef said businesses could not require any individual to be vaccinated.
"However, businesses can require that certain work must only be done by vaccinated workers, where there is high risk of contracting and transmitting Covid-19 to others."
