Kia ora koutou,

We hope everyone is doing well in their respective bubbles. Unfortunately with today’s news, Auckland and Northland remain in Alert Level 4 but we have some good news with a de-escalation in other parts. Today’s Sector Update contains the following:

• Recap on COVID-19 Alert Level Changes
• Early caution on restrictions in Alert Level 3
• More information on mandatory record keeping
• Webinar on COVID-19 insights

Today’s news:

• The whole of New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 4 until 2359 on Tuesday
• Auckland and Northland will remain in level 4, likely for a further two weeks
• All of New Zealand, south of the Auckland boundary, will move to level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday

Quicklinks:

Sport NZ’s alert level information is up to date. Please refer to these to understand the guidelines for sport, recreation and play at each alert level.  Note that we have temporarily removed the Alert Level 3 guidance until it can be reviewed and confirmed.

Guidance about what you can do in the workplace at COVID-19 alert levels can be obtained from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment here.

Information on Government financial support can be found on the United Against COVID-19 web site here.

Sector Guidance for COVID-19 Alert Level 3

The basic guidelines for Alert Level 3 are:

• Stay home and working remotely if you can
• Public venues like pools and playgrounds are closed
• Organised sport or physical activity is not allowed outside bubbles
• Low risk local recreation is allowed – further guidance on this is to be confirmed
• No inter-region travel is allowed without an exemption.

We expect a new Health Order to be issued and once we have this guidance, will interpret the guidance as quickly as possible to understand implications on the sector. We are receiving many enquiries about what activities may be permitted under the Alert Level 3 rules. Previously, at Alert Level 3, people were able to engage in a wider variety of sport and recreation activities with certain restrictions in place. We are anticipating that some of these restrictions may increase given the Delta variant is so much more transmissible and can spread more easily (e.g. through airborne transmission as well as surface to surface).

What this means:

• A more conservative approach is likely and fewer activities may be possible than was the case in previous periods at Alert Level 3
• You cannot assume that because an activity was previously permitted, it will be permitted under Alert Level 3 this time round
• We will work as fast as we can to clarify what the new Alert Level 3 health guidance means for sport and recreation activities (community and high-performance) and will provide further advice as soon as we can
• In the meantime, please take a conservative approach and do not engage in or promote to your stakeholders any activities that are not expressly permitted in the current public health guidance.

Mandatory record keeping

Mandatory record keeping is being introduced for busy places and events to ensure the Government can contact trace quickly. This requirement will come into effect 7 days after the next alert level change. At this point applicable businesses and locations will be required to have record keeping systems and processes in place. 

The mandatory record keeping requirements generally only apply to indoor settings. However, mandatory record keeping will be required at social gatherings that will include some sport and recreation activities. We are seeking more clarity on this.

We know mandatory record keeping applies to:

• Indoor facilities
• Exercise facilities

And it would be prudent for us to assume that it will also apply to:

• Clubrooms
• Changing rooms
• Outdoor events involving large numbers

Relevant businesses and locations will be responsible for having systems and processes in place to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that customers or visitors make a record. Further guidance to support compliance with the new requirements will be provided through Sport NZ sector updates and via the government Covid19 Website. Guidance from Government is being developed to support businesses to comply with the new requirements – this can be found here.

Online webinar on COVID-19 Insights

Sport NZ is inviting you to attend an online webinar covering our latest COVID Insights. The session will cover the key themes we are hearing from the sector and what we know about the impact on participation from the pandemic (since April 2020). From the session you will get:

• An understanding of the immediate issues facing the sector
• An understanding of the impact of the pandemic on participation and behaviour change
• An opportunity to ask questions

Below are Teams links invitations to the two sessions:

• Wednesday 1^st Sept - 2pm (link)
• Friday 3^rd Sept – 11am (link)

Employee Assistance Services

Employee Assistance Services are available to all sector partners via Vitae.  Vitae can be contacted via phone on 0508 664 981 or via their website here. Vitae offer a free and completely confidential service for people who feel they require some independent and expert support.

Contacting Sport NZ

Please contact your Partnerships Manager for further help or support if you have one, otherwise feel free to send COVID-19 related queries to this address, and we’ll respond as soon as possible: Covid19response@sportnz.org.nz.


Kia kaha,
Raelene Castle