Category: COVID-19

From 11.59pm, Wednesday 13 April all of New Zealand moved to Orange under the COVID-19 Protection Framework.

There are a few changes that effect the sport and active recreation sector.

• My Vaccine Passes not required
• No indoor or outdoor capacity limits
• Good health behaviour encourages
• At indoor venues, facemasks encouraged when not exercising, except at swimming pools
• At outdoor venues, facemasks are not required
• There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping

View Sport New Zealand’s full guidance here.

A new and highly simplified traffic light setting is now in effect.

The key changes are as follows:
Red
🔴Indoor capacity limits for gatherings and events with My Vaccine Pass will increase to 200 – this includes gyms, food and drink businesses and other indoor settings where sport and recreation takes place.
🔴There will be no limits for outdoor activities with My Vaccine Pass – such as gatherings, events, and food/drink retailers.
🔴Face masks are no longer required at outdoor settings.
🔴There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.

Orange
🟠There will be no capacity limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings and events, but face masks are still required in many indoor settings.
🟠There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.

Green
🟢There are no requirements, but good health habits should still be maintained to help look after those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

From 11.59pm Monday 4 April, My Vaccine Passes will no longer be required. This is due to the high vaccination rate and levels of acquired immunity.
⚫️Until 4 April, where My Vaccine Passes are not used, the current restrictions remain — but after this time, the new capacity limits will apply to everyone.
⚫️After 4 April, businesses will still be able to use the system if they would like to.

You can find Sport NZ’s updated guidelines here.

The Bronwyn Kay Sporting Excellence Awards were due to go ahead on Friday 11 February.

Due to the announcement by the Prime Minister on Sunday 23 January of New Zealand moving into the Red Setting under the COVID-19 Protection Framework, Whiti Ora has reviewed the structure and delivery of the Awards.

Under the Red Setting for gatherings where vaccine passes are not required, participants are limited to 25. For gatherings where vaccine passes are required, participants are limited to 100.

“Due to the capacity limits under the Red Setting we are unable to go ahead with the normal format of our Awards. We know this will be disappointing for some people, however, our priority is to keep our community safe, and we’re determined to find a way to still give our sporting community the recognition they so richly deserve” Said Whiti Ora Chief Executive Stefan Pishief.

Whiti Ora has deliberated on the range of options available and has decided to move away from the traditional Sports Awards setting to a digital environment with Rāngai Productions. Rāngai Productions is a local multi-use studio and education space.

“We’re excited about hosting our Sporting Awards through the digital space and trying something new that still makes it possible to celebrate the achievements of our regions sporting community.” Said Whiti Ora Event Lead Debbie Hutchings.

We would like to thank all of our local sponsors, and the wider community, for their understanding and ongoing support through these uncertain times.

For those who have already purchased tickets to the event, they will be contacted directly for a refund.

More information will be released about the screening that will be launched online in late February on the Whiti Ora website and social media channels.

The Awards will be recorded on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 March and will be made available online later on in March.

Tairāwhiti will transition into the CPF’s Orange Setting at 11.59pm on Thursday 30 December.

Orange is designed to reduce increasing community transmission that is putting pressure on the public health system and at-risk people.

So what does Orange look like?
🌳All outdoor parks, fields and playgrounds can open for use. You can use playground equipment and benches in public spaces.
🏋️‍♀️Gyms can open if vaccine passes are checked.
🏊‍♀️Public facilities like council-owned swimming pools can open subject to capacity limits.
⚽️Sports and recreational facilities can open but will need to consider specific additional rules that may apply for the commercial premises (eg. cafes).
↔️If a business, event or organisation does not wish to request proof of vaccination, they will usually have to operate within more strict limits on capacity and space requirements.
📱Record keeping and scanning of the COVID-19 Tracer App is required
😷Face coverings are mandatory on flights, public transport, in taxis, retail, some education settings, and public venues. Face coverings are encouraged whenever you leave the house.
🥵You should stay home if you are unwell and call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5433 for advice about getting tested.
Gatherings limits:
🙌If you use vaccine passes there are no limits on the number of people that can attend.
5️⃣0️⃣If you do not check vaccine passes at a gathering, then the capacity limit is determined by the size of the facility allowing for 1m2 of space per person. You can have a maximum of 50 people.
👧This capacity limit includes children. Children under the age of 12 who cannot be vaccinated are treated as if they have a vaccine pass.
❌This capacity limit excludes workers.

For more information on participating and spectating at Orange and for the full guidance, check out these links:
➡ Sport NZ Orange Guidance at a Glance
➡ Sport NZ CPF Overview
➡ Sport NZ Orange Full Guidance
➡ Unite Against COVID-19 Life at Orange

Noho ora mai

Following on from the Prime Ministers announcement today, all of New Zealand will transition into the Red Setting under the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF) as of 11.59pm Sunday 23 January.

Red is designed to protect at-risk people and the health system from an unsustainable number of hospitalisations.

So what does Red look like?
🌳All outdoor parks, fields and playgrounds can open for use. You can use playground equipment and benches in public spaces.
🏋️‍♀️Gyms can open if vaccine passes are checked.
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣At gatherings where Vaccine Passes are used, there can be up to 100 people.
2️⃣5️⃣At gatherings where Vaccine Passes are not used, there can be up to 25 people.
🏊‍♀️Public facilities like council-owned swimming pools can open subject to capacity limits.
⚽️Sports and recreational facilities can open but will need to consider specific additional rules that may apply for the commercial premises (eg. cafes).
↔️If a business, event or organisation does not wish to request proof of vaccination, they will usually have to operate within more strict limits on capacity and space requirements.
📱Record keeping and scanning of the COVID-19 Tracer App is required
😷Face coverings are mandatory on flights, public transport, in taxis, retail, some education settings, and public venues. Face coverings are encouraged whenever you leave the house.
🥵You should stay home if you are unwell and call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5433 for advice about getting tested.
🔴The Red Setting does effect some of our upcoming events, we will send out specific communications around each event shortly.

Sport New Zealand have developed resources to help guide the sport and recreation sector.

For more information on gathering limits, checking vaccine passes and events at Red, click here.

Settings guidance and more detail about each setting can be found here.

You can find the Unite Against COVID-19 general framework here.

If you’re needing guidance or more understanding on how this effects you in the sporting and recreation sector, please connect with us so we can try our best to help.

We will share any resources and updates as they come through.

 

Updates:

11.03.22 – From 13 March you will no longer need to wear facemasks at outdoors Gatherings. You still need to wear them at indoors Gatherings (unless you have exclusive use of the defined space and venue) and at Events (both indoors and outdoors) as it is harder to trace who you may have interacted with.