Campground staff and hut wardens in Department of Conservation (DOC) facilities will not be employed unless they have been fully jabbed.
In a report, Harry Maher, health and safety director of DOC said new wardens and hosts of campgrounds including volunteers will have to show proof of vaccination in order to start work.
“They’re not required to be currently vaccinated to apply for these roles, however, any offer made will be conditional on their acceptance to be vaccinated as soon as they can,” Maher said. “If this isn’t undertaken within a suitable time frame once eligible, their employment will be terminated.”
It is expected to affect around 50 employees. Staff who are not vaccinated could be transferred to different positions, based on the potential risk of exposure to public. Personnel who are retrenched or who resign could be granted paid or unpaid time off to find work. Maher explained that DOC did not know of any employees who had decided to quit their jobs because of the requirement.
As of writing, DOC declared that users of the hut would not have to get vaccinated under the new traffic light alert system. The system allows access to restaurants, bars as well as gyms, and events are limited to those who have vaccination certificates for the highest alert levels.
Maher stated that “[Although] there is no requirement for hut users to be vaccinated. However, all campers and hut users are strongly urged to be fully vaccinated prior [to] camping in huts or at campsites,”
“The nature of this accommodation—often bringing many people together from all locations sleeping and eating in close proximity—makes full vaccination the safest approach. The feedback we are hearing is that most people staying in DOC accommodation would like the confidence that others sharing the accommodation are also vaccinated,”
We are continually evaluating whether there will be additional requirements for vaccination based on advice from the Government.” Maher ended.