Update 4 April 2022 | From Tuesday 5 April vaccine passes will not be needed at council sites and facilities. Masks, physical distancing and staying home if sick is still vital. Read more about our updated approach to vaccination here.
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Update: 28 March 2022 | Read the latest on the review of our approach to vaccinations here.
Any changes to vaccine pass requirements at council sites and facilities will be widely communicated once a decision is made.
Original story (12 January 2022):
Auckland Council has confirmed that all its staffed facilities and council-run community events will require the use of vaccination passes until June 2022. This extends the council’s interim position, which was put in place in early December 2021.
Mayor Phil Goff says he supports the extension, which will help keep the council’s staff, customers and community safe.
"The council’s top priority remains the safety of people on its premises, and to reduce the chances of the spread of COVID-19 within them.
"We want to ensure everyone attending our council-run events is safe. Requiring vaccine passes reduces the risk in situations where gathering sizes mean social distancing is not practical or is not an effective control.”
Councillor Alf Filipaina, Chair of the council’s Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee, says he is fully supportive of the staff in this decision.
“Extending the requirement for vaccine passes is not an easy decision. We know Aucklanders love their libraries, art galleries, community centres, visitor centres and more, and we want as many people as possible to make the most of and enjoy our region.
“We want to stress that people without vaccination passes will still be able to access our services, and this extension will allow us to continue to develop and implement alternative service options for customers who do not have a vaccine pass.
“Some services may be delivered to unvaccinated customers in a different way than before, but we will ensure these are still accessible to everyone, such as our libraries’ highly popular Wi-Fi, digital and ‘Click-and-Collect’ services.”
Auckland Council Chief Executive, Jim Stabback says Auckland Council’s interim customer position is designed to be flexible as risks are subject to change.
“This decision was made to manage the risk of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of our community, customers and staff.
“The council has now decided to extend our interim customer position until end of June 2022, and we will undertake reviews of the risk assessment that informs this position each month. This will allow us to remain adaptable to any changes in Government health policy or risk levels, or if Auckland moves to Green.
“Continuing our interim customer position will also enable alignment of several other key council policies, including the staff vaccination policy and the contractor vaccination policy that are currently in development. This alignment will allow for a unified long-term approach across the organisation.”
Vaccine passes are not required at any of our facilities for anyone under 12 years and 3 months, as well as school-aged children participating in education outside the classroom activities and school-organised sports.
Facilities that require vaccination passes
- Gyms/Fitness Functions
- Learn to swim programmes (for customers older than 12 years)
- Recreation/Leisure Centres
- Pools and aquatic centres
- Holiday parks
- Libraries
- Arts facilities
- Council-run events
- Community centres
- Animal shelters
- Service Centres (integrated and standalone)
- Cemetery offices (alternative arrangements can be made)
- Visitor Centres – Arataki, Botanic Gardens
- Tipping Point (Waitākere) recycling centre
Facilities that do not require vaccination passes
- Baches, camping sites and lodges (Regional Parks)
- Community venues for hire through booking
- Cemeteries (excluding offices)
- Waste transfer stations
