COVID-19 Maritime Industry Update 97 - 24 January 2022 This guideline is for the maritime industry and port supply chain
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COVID-19 Maritime Industry Update 97 24 January 2022 This guideline is for the maritime industry and port supply chain COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 1 of 9
COVID-19 Maritime Industry Update 97 Last updated: 24 January 2022 This document is uncontrolled if printed. Please refer to the Maritime New Zealand website for the latest version. In this guide 1. Welcome back – from Maritime NZ 3 2. Boosters and the Mandatory Vaccinations Order 4 3. Business Continuity Planning 5 4. Worker shortages 6 5. Vaccinations at the maritime border 7 6. Answering your questions 8 7. Key sources of information 9 COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 2 of 9
1. Welcome back – from Maritime NZ
Welcome to the first Maritime Industry Update for 2022. We hope everyone had a safe and
enjoyable holiday break and managed to rest up for the year ahead.
When the pandemic first impacted Kiwis nearly two years ago, we perhaps felt that by now the worst of it
would be over and life would be returning to normal.
It seems there will still be some tricky stages to negotiate before we can begin to relax our approach to
COVID-19, but with New Zealand’s vaccination roll out so well advanced, we can begin to plan the future
with a bit more certainty.
We are always here for the sector and will continue supporting our stakeholders and government partners
to help guide us through 2022 and beyond, so if you have a question, please don’t hesitate to reach out
to us on MNZCovid-19@maritimenz.govt.nz.
The Maritime Industry Update is issued fortnightly, usually on a Monday. However, publication
days might change when there is a need to provide a quick update.
If you have any questions about updates, or suggestions for what you would like included, please
contact Maritime NZ by emailing MNZCovid-19@maritimenz.govt.nz.
COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 3 of 92. Boosters and the Mandatory
Vaccinations Order
As we signalled in an email last week, changes are coming to the Vaccination Order to
ensure workers receive their booster shot for maximum protection.
The changes will be written into law soon but we are keen to give everyone a head start to enable the
booster roll out to reach as many border workers as possible, in the shortest amount of time.
While we are waiting for the order to be updated, we ask that you support your workers to get their
booster now. If it’s been more than four months since a worker received their second shot, they are
eligible to receive their booster.
Once the Vaccination order is in force, anyone who had their second shot over 6 months ago and have
not had their booster by 15 February, will be in breach of the order. We ask that anyone in this category
arrange to have their booster shot as soon as possible.
Timeframes are likely to be tight for boosters to be arranged so there will be a graduated enforcement
approach with the roll out where a period of education will precede any possible enforcement action.
Please note that workers will need to be 18 years or older to receive a booster dose.
Details on how to book an appointment can be found here:
https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19-vaccines/how-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccination/getting-your-booster-
dose/
To access information on a worker’s booster status, you can email BWTRsupport@health.govt.nz and
the Ministry of Health will provide instruction on how to gain worker authorisation to access their booster
information on the BWTR system. Once the order has been signed we will be providing staff vaccination
status reports to employers indicating whether a booster dose is required for a worker. In time, the BWTR
will be able to display this information.
Children can now be vaccinated
Children aged 5 to 11 years old can now be immunised against COVID-19.
The dose used for children aged 5 to 11 is smaller in volume to the adult vaccine and uses a smaller
needle. To be fully immunised, a child will receive 2 shots at least 8 weeks apart.
Children aged 12 to 15 can go to any vaccination site and be given the standard adult Pfizer dose.
Children under the age of 12 years and 3 months will not be asked to show proof of vaccination.
For more information, visit the Ministry of Health’s website.
COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 4 of 93. Business Continuity Planning
The Government is preparing for Omicron to arrive and with this, there will be a change in
how we all deal with COVID-19.
Work is underway to refine the COVID-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Lights) to ensure it can cope with
higher rates of COVID-19 in the community.
How this impacts the maritime border and businesses operating at ports is part of the ongoing ‘business
continuity planning’ that Maritime NZ and other agencies are working on. As these changes come into
view, we will be sure to let you know what they are.
With more of the community self-isolating at home there will be a greater emphasis on how to take care
-
of yourself and your whanau at home, when to seek help, and what isolating at home will look like. There
will be resources available soon to provide people with the information they will need.
In the meantime, vaccinations, boosters, testing and staying at home if you are unwell, are the keys to
ensuring businesses remain operational and the supply chain remains in good shape.
COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 5 of 94. Worker shortages As we’ve seen in many countries overseas, staff shortages are beginning to impact businesses here. No more is this more keenly felt than in the maritime and ports sector where many of the positions that remain unfilled, require specialist and experienced workers. Maritime NZ has been liaising with ports, shipping companies and stevedoring companies to gain a sense of the extent of the problem, professions that are affected the most, and how the supply chain will be affected. From there we will work with our government partners to look at short to long-term solutions, which could include fast-tracking staff in from abroad in addition to local recruitment and training initiatives. If you would like to contribute to this exercise, contact us at MNZCovid-9@maritimenz.govt.nz and let us know how staff shortages are effecting you. COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 6 of 9
5. Vaccinations at the maritime border A key piece of work on Maritime NZ’s radar for the early part of 2022, is to facilitate the vaccination of foreign seafarers and determine what’s required to verify vaccination status before anyone can depart their vessel. Planning is underway to offer vaccinations to visiting seafarers, however being vaccinated is not a condition of entry for seafarers into New Zealand at this point. Moreover, this initiative is focussed on improving the overall health of seafarers and helping them access places where vaccination status is a determinant of entry. Maritime NZ along with other government agencies, will work with ports, shipping operators and Public Health Units to offer vaccinations to seafarers where practical. COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 7 of 9
6. Answering your questions There are a huge number of stakeholders in the maritime industry and ports’ supply chain, and all of you are affected in different ways by COVID-19 and New Zealand’s response to it. If you have questions you would like answered, please email MNZCovid-19@maritimenz.govt.nz by 5pm, Friday each week. COVID-19 Maritime industry update 97 Page 8 of 9
7. Key sources of information
The following links provide you with key sources of information.
For all your questions, and to provide information MNZCovid-19@maritimenz.govt.nz
and make suggestions – email Maritime NZ
Port and maritime guidelines and other information www.maritimenz.govt.nz – click on the COVID-19
banner on the home page
Official health advice, including testing – Ministry of www.health.govt.nz/
Health
Up-to-date information across the transport sector www.transport.govt.nz/about/covid-19/
(land, sea and air) – Ministry of Transport
All New Zealand COVID-19 legislation www.pco.govt.nz/covid-19-legislation/
New Zealand’s campaign to stamp out COVID-19 www.covid19.govt.nz
Information for businesses operating under alert www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/operating-at-alert-
levels levels/
Wage Subsidy Scheme information www.workandincome.govt.nz/covid-
19/resurgence-wage-subsidy/index.html
Managed Isolation and Quarantine www.miq.govt.nz/
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