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Whanganui businesses currently outside the Government's Covid-19 vaccine mandate are taking things one step at a time when it comes to enforcing rules of their own.
Plumber Dan administration manager Wendy Johns said the company was yet to set any rules around mandatory vaccinations for its staff.
"We're aware that the likes of Master Plumbers (New Zealand) are pushing for the Government to mandate our industry in that regard," Johns said.
"There have been a couple of inquiries from customers about whether our staff are vaccinated or not, and we've had contact from businesses we deal with around their policies in having to be vaccinated.
"At this point, we haven't made a decision on what we'll do."
It was important to keep "watching, listening and waiting" for new information from the Government.
One only had to look on Facebook to know how emotive the conversation around vaccine mandates was, Johns said.
"We haven't put signs outside saying 'no masks no service' or anything like that. We haven't got that far that down the track.
"If our staff come to us with questions then we talk to them about it, and offer support and advice."
Whanganui MP Steph Lewis said she wasn't aware of any local companies that had made the decision to mandate vaccination in their workplace.
Based on what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at her October 26 press conference, the Government wasn't looking at mandating any more industries at the moment, Lewis said.
"I think a lot of businesses are still working through the traffic light information and what that could mean for them in the various stages.
"It's up to individual employers to decide the level of risk and the health and safety implications for their business."
A spokesman for House Cleaners Whanganui said he was aware of one customer expressing a desire for only vaccinated workers to come into their home.
Other than that, most were happy with the company's existing health and safety procedures.
At present, the company leaves vaccination choices in the hands of individual staff members.
"If every client says they only want vaccinated people on their property, and you don't get vaccinated, then you're going run out of business," he said.
"Ultimately, when you're working in a client's home, you're working to their wishes. They are the ones who will determine what happens."
He said the company was doing all it could to meet its obligations around Covid-19 regulations, while still continuing operations.
"It's tough on small businesses, it hits us hard every time there's a lockdown under the old rules.
"At the end of the day, we're plodding along and trying to look after our clients."
Lewis said the vast majority of messages coming through her inboxes regarding the Covid-19 vaccine had been positive.
"I haven't talked to anyone so far who has said they'd rather go into lockdown than try and find a way to have a bit more freedom and manage the virus as best we can.
"What has been incredibly uplifting to me is that when we come out of the other side of lockdowns our community is really quick to pull together and support our local businesses.
"It's up to the individual and the individual business, but we know vaccination is the best tool we have in our toolkit right now."
Appliance Repair Services doesn't have a policy in place for its staff yet.
Owner Njela Turia said she expected the Government to mandate vaccinations for workers in her industry sooner rather than later.
"I think it's very obvious that we'll be included in the next stage," Turia said.
"We just have to wait for that information."
Turia said she wasn't aware of any customers who had specifically asked for only a vaccinated technician so far.
Personally, she was pro-choice when it came to receiving the vaccine, but the company had made "every possible opportunity available" for all its staff to have information about getting vaccinated.
"We've sat down individually with everyone, about how they made their decision if they did get vaccinated, and how they're feeling in general.
"That is really important to me, the mental health side of things."
Anthony O'Leary, of Jamie O'Leary Builders, said the vast majority of his crew had been double vaccinated already.
"Out of 20-odd staff, I think there's only three who have had just one [jab]," O'Leary said.
"The rest have been double dosed."
No clients had asked for only vaccinated staff.
"That wouldn't bother us at all.
"Maybe if an anti-vaxxer came along and said they only wanted unvaccinated builders on site. I can't see that being a very likely thing to occur though."
O'Leary said he wouldn't be surprised if the construction industry was included in the next step of the vaccine mandate.
"In some ways, it's being pushed by industry organisations in terms of lobbying the Government.
"Whether she [Jacinda Ardern] will or she won't, time will tell."
What the mandate could look like was another matter.
"Will it be specifically targeted at construction, or will there be something broader under the traffic light system?" O'Leary said.
"I think politically, she'll probably tread very carefully and not try to target one group or another. There will be something a bit more generic."
O'Leary said the general feeling around the sector in Whanganui was that most people were getting on board with the vaccination push.
Ideally, rules and regulations were there for the right reasons, and for the "greater good".
"We are in a very busy industry and there's really good demand.
"There has been a bit of resistance for different reasons, but when push comes to crunch, I think some of those people will end up getting vaccinated to maintain what they want to do with their lives, as well as being employed."
The next big question was how to manage proceedings when the mandate was eventually implemented, Turia said.
Regardless of Government regulations, clients had been really understanding since the end of this year's lockdown.
"They've been supportive of wearing masks themselves as well," she said.
"That was lovely, because that protection goes both ways, with the customers and the staff."
For information on the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and other things you need to know, listen to our podcast Science Digest with Michelle Dickinson:
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