Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Bay education and health workers react to vaccine mandate

Pāpāmoa College principal Steve Lindsey. Photo / NZME

Health and education leaders in the Bay of Plenty are backing the vaccination mandate for staff, with one school leader saying it will provide "clarity" to the teaching workforce.

But some said "more rigorous information" was needed from Government on how the mandate would be rolled out and any impacts managed.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Monday that the deadline for health and disability workers to become fully vaccinated is December 1 and all staff at schools and ECEs who have contact with children or students need to have both doses by January 1.

Pāpāmoa College principal Steve Lindsey said the mandate was "overall a good thing" as it gave school staff clarity.

He believed it would be "widely accepted" by staff at Pāpāmoa College.

Lindsey said it was important systems were put in place to verify individuals at school were fully vaccinated.

This would include school staff as well as visitors such as contractors, volunteers and student teachers.

Oropi School principal Andrew King said he was waiting on "more rigorous information" about the mandate from the Ministry of Education.

"You have got all the employment law factors to consider for those that have chosen not to get vaccinated," he said.

King, who was fully vaccinated, was concerned schools would lose "hard to replace" volunteers who worked across a variety of roles.

"You will end up with some volunteers you have had for a long time that can't come into your school anymore," he said.

"It is going to have an impact, and I don't know that we will have the backfill to replace those people."

BestStart Educare deputy chief executive Fiona Hughes said there was "general acceptance" of the mandate among teams in both Tauranga and Rotorua.

Many staff had confirmed they were vaccinated, but Hughes said "a few" were vaccine-hesitant.

BestStart had been encouraging staff to get vaccinated since August's lockdown, with centre managers having conversations with teams individually.

The deadline for health and disability workers to become fully vaccinated is December 1 this year. Photo / NZME

Inspired Kindergartens principal Peter Monteith said it was waiting on details from the Ministry of Education - particularly around exemptions for staff and processes they would need to follow.

Monteith said that prior to the announcement staff had been asked to voluntarily advise the centre of their immunisation status. He did not have numbers yet.

College of Midwives chief executive Alison Eddy said while most Bay of Plenty midwives supported the mandate, there was still divided opinion around the principle of informed consent.

"People understand why it is needed - and that is certainly the message we are getting from a lot of our members as well," she said.

"It cuts across some fundamental principles around health care and personal choice that sits slightly uncomfortably with us as a profession."

But she said the "greater public health good" was absolutely imperative in the pandemic.

"As the main health professional group caring for them, midwives have a responsibility to ensure they are doing all they can to prevent or minimise the transmission of the virus."

Fifth Avenue Medical Centre GP Dr Luke Bradford. Photo / George Novak

Fifth Avenue Medical Centre GP Dr Luke Bradford, of Tauranga, said he was "very much in support" of the mandate.

It would help unvaccinated staff working in healthcare make a choice around whether or not they wanted to stay in their roles.

While it would be "really hard" for health workers in this position, he believed it would overall give more confidence to those looking after vulnerable community members.

CCS Disability Action midland general manager Colene Herbert said vaccinations for its workers would provide a "level of protection" for those with disabilities and also those working out in the community.

The organisation was still waiting on detail from the government about how the mandate would be achieved, she said.

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Professional organisations have come out in support of the mandate including the New Zealand Principals' Federation, NZEI Te Riu Roa, The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, General Practices New Zealand and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

Principals' Federation president Perry Rush said it was a "brave" decision for Government to take and "underscores the threat posed by the Covid Delta strain to frontline education workers and students".

College president Dr Samantha Murton said it was a "bold, but necessary" decision given the speed Delta was spreading throughout the country.