Covid 19 Delta outbreak: 71 port workers not vaccinated in the Bay, a week before deadline

Seventy-one Bay of Plenty port workers remain unvaccinated days before the deadline for all border workers to be vaccinated.

However, the Ministry of Health says the figure could be smaller because of anomalies with the data. Some were also temporary workers who would not be working at the border after the deadline.

All privately employed border workers have until September 30 to get their first Covid-19 vaccination, while Government-employed workers had until August 26 to receive their first vaccination, the ministry's group manager of Covid-19 vaccination operations, Astrid Koornneef, said.

Any workers not vaccinated after these dates would need to discuss options with their employer, Koornneef said.

Figures provided by the Ministry of Health show as of 8am on September 23, 98 port workers had received one dose, and 320 were fully vaccinated.

"The Ministry of Health is following up with employers of border workers on each of their staff showing as unvaccinated, and employers have a plan in place for each employee," Koornneef said.

The Port of Tauranga was in consultation with employees who were not vaccinated. Photo / George Novak

A Port of Tauranga spokesperson said the port expected 96 per cent of its employees to have had their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by next week's deadline, while "almost all" have had two doses.

The port had 49 employees subjected to the mandatory vaccination order.

"We are in consultation with those that remain unvaccinated."

Other employers based at the Port of Tauranga would be going through "similar processes", the spokesperson said.

The port had been promoting vaccinations to all employees, not just frontline workers, as well as the wider port community, the spokesperson said.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison. Photo / Supplied

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison said "a few" people had rallied together about not wanting to get vaccinated, but the group was "getting smaller".

"In Tauranga, the vast majority of our members have been vaccinated – there could be maybe 20 in the whole port if we're lucky that won't get vaccinated," he said.

"Anecdotally, I've heard that there are a whole lot of people that have been booking to get vaccinated at the end of this week and next week."

Some of those not getting vaccinated were being repositioned around the port into other jobs, and three had already been moved into different port jobs that were not near the ships, he said.

There were "one or two" who were still looking for positions in the port away from the ships such as "unloading the trains with logs or running the log peelers".

Harrison had not heard of any employees being let go due to not being vaccinated.

"It only becomes an issue after the 30th [of September] and then we get into that process then."

The Maritime Union of New Zealand had been working "really hard" to get the message across about getting vaccinated, he said.

"They've been down there a few times [and] organising vaccination programmes. The DHB has been really proactive down there and trying to get the message across."

Tauranga MP, National's Simon Bridges, said he "sincerely" hoped the deadline for all port workers to be vaccinated was met.

"If it isn't, the Government needs to explain why not and what they are going to do about it."

Contractors from C3, ISL and ISO also work at the port. All three businesses were approached for comment but declined.