Kia ora koutou,

We hope you all enjoyed the weekend, and for those in Wellington, that you are continuing to enjoy Anniversary Monday as far as possible.

As announced yesterday, New Zealand has moved to the RED setting of the Covid Protection Framework due to the confirmation of the Omicron variant in the community. Over this next period, the national priority will be to slow the spread of the highly-infectious variant. More information will come this week regarding the three-phase plan for dealing with Omicron.

Red is the most restrictive traffic light setting but domestic travel can continue. There are no borders in place at present. Having said that, Government are asking us all to do everything possible to slow the rate of infection, including a push for New Zealanders to get their vaccine booster as soon as eligible.

Sport NZ’s response

As a precaution, Sport NZ has asked staff to work from home where possible and travel only if necessary. On that basis and due to the gatherings limits required under the red setting, we may need to cancel or delay planned hui, or transition face to face meetings to online hui. We’ll let those affected know as we change plans over the coming weeks.

This link is useful for businesses and organisations seeking to minimise the impact of Omicron in the workplace.

Guidance documents available
There are a number of guidance documents for play, active recreation and sport organisations available on Sport NZ’s website. This includes full guidance for each traffic light setting, and specific guidance on My Vaccine Pass, and guidance for events under the new framework. Key links below:

• Framework table at-a-glance
• Red setting – full guidance
• Events guidance

Future drop-in meetings
We will likely set up a drop-in meeting for the wider sector later this week following further Government announcements regarding the three-stage Omicron plan. Pending this, as always, you can send questions to Covid19response@sportnz.org.nz or reach out to your Partnership Manager for help and support.

Though not the start to 2022 we would have liked, Happy New Year to all. Thank you for continuing to work so hard to keep sport and recreation happening for all New Zealanders in unpredictable and challenging times.

Ngā mihi,
Raelene Castle