Vaccination could be the most important ticket to events in Whanganui this year. Photo / 123RF
Presenting both your ID and your vaccination passport at a bar or the gates to an event might become commonplace by the end of the year, as the Government moves on developing a system to prove Covid-19 vaccination status.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced this week that My Covid Record - an online system to create documentation proving your vaccination status - is currently in development.
The system will allow people who have been vaccinated to keep a copy of both their vaccination and testing records on their phone, via a QR code.
It's expected to go live early next month.
The advent of the system could see some businesses implementing a no-jab no-entry policy, with the Government already signalling that vaccination will likely be a requirement for larger events.
In Whanganui, that could mean that bars and cafes implement mandatory vaccination policies, and local events could also require evidence.
Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall said he backed local businesses to make a call on how they tackle the issue of vaccination.
"There's freedom of, and freedom from. If a music festival for example is trying to create a safe, enjoyable event, it's perfectly in their rights to say we control entry," he said.
"I totally support the decisions of individual businesses and individual events, whether they say vaccination is important, or it doesn't matter to us."
But when it came to council-owned facilities, McDouall was apprehensive about putting restrictions in place for residents.
"I would be reluctant to put a restriction in place for somewhere like a library. There's no way I would support a restriction on unvaccinated people entering the library.
"You've also got to be allowed to come along and watch council. This is part of democracy."
Whanganui MP Steph Lewis was also of the view that businesses had the right to choose how they tackle the issue of vaccine certificates.
"I think it's up to each individual business to decide what's safe for their staff and customers and then go from there."
Lewis accepted there was a balance between ensuring unvaccinated people had the freedom to go about their lives, but protecting the safety of others was also a key consideration.
"The other way to look at it is under the Employment Relations Act, an employer has the obligation to provide a safe and healthy workplace for their employees."
Lewis said it's entirely possible the Whanganui region could see a case in the near future, and it's important people put their hand up to be jabbed.
There seemed to be a bipartisan agreement, with Rangitīkei MP Ian McKelvie also backing the rights of businesses to make their own call.
"Despite all those people that don't like the vaccine for various reasons, there's no sufficient proof to give [their claims] any credibility, and if you want to access the world, we have to take precautions to do it."
While McKelvie believed in the right of people to decline medical treatment, he said the times we lived in mean some impingement on freedom was necessary.
"I think as members of New Zealand society we have a responsibility [to get the jab].
"That doesn't mean we should be doing what we do with the old ewes and ramming them up a race and giving them a vaccine whether they like it or not, though."
Pahia Turia, chairman of economic development agency Whanganui and Partners, said his personal view was that mandating vaccinations for entry to a premise was a difficult balancing act.
"It's a hard one. I honestly don't know the answer. We've seen discrimination in all shapes and forms in this country for a long time, so coming from that angle, no.
"But then you sit back and think these are private businesses - they also have rights as well."
Turia said we need to accept there would be a portion of the population who won't be vaccinated, and it was important that consideration was made on how to handle that group.
The most important way to encourage vaccination isn't through a stick, it's through education and encouragement, Turia said.
Meanwhile, Whanganui's growing events industry will also have to consider how to approach the issue of vaccination.
The wider Whanganui region is set to see a number of large events over the coming months, including the Suzuki Cemetery Circuit, Whanganui Vintage Weekend, and the Welcome to Nowhere, KiwiBurn and Sound Valley music festivals.
Welcome to Nowhere festival curator Sophie Scott-Maunder said the festival had proactively implemented a no-jab no-entry policy - pre-empting any Government announcement.
The boutique festival, which sees 800 staff and party-goers, is held just outside of Whanganui, with attendees from predominantly from outside the region.
"We are offering full refunds for anybody who doesn't want to attend or doesn't want to get vaccinated so, therefore, can't attend."
Scott-Maunder said that since the announcement of the decision, a number of social media users have been critical of the move but organisers were confident it was the right one.
"These are people who clearly aren't coming to the festival anyway.
"We are thinking pretty positively from of the communications we've seen from the Government. They want summer to happen, and if people get vaccinated then it will happen."
Hunterville's KiwiBurn festival is also expected to take a similar approach, with organisers this week urging festival-goers to get jabbed now to avoid disappointment.
"Due to the time period required to achieve two vaccinations and then reach deemed immunity. Fourteen days after the second dose, participants keen to come to the paddock should consider booking their vaccinations now," it said in a statement.
Saturday, October 9
• Te Rito Vaccination Centre, 60 Victoria Ave, Whanganui
• Aramoho Health Centre, 144 Somme Pde, Whanganui
• Te Manuao conference room, Rātana
Sunday, October 10
• Te Rito Vaccination Centre, 60 Victoria Ave, Whanganui
