Covid 19 coronavirus tracing card trial: Calls for Ngongotahā participants

Monty Morrison (left) and Kris Faafoi with the Covid-19 contact tracing cards. Photo / Supplied

More than 350 people have already signed up to be part of a Covid contact tracing card trial running in Rotorua, with several key community events this week expected to see hundreds more become part of the trial.

Between 500 and 1500 people over the age of 19 that live or work in Ngongotahā are being sought for the trial, which will involve them wearing a contact tracing card for a week and providing feedback.

The card was co-designed by Te Arawa Covid Hub, the Ministry of Health and the Universities of Otago and Waikato.

The purpose of the trial is to understand how a contact tracing card works in a real-world scenario, whether it is compatible with New Zealand's contact tracing systems, and if people will accept and use it.

Ngongotahā was selected as an ideal location for the trial because it is big enough to have several marae, a school and shops, and small enough that 1500 people was a significant percentage of the population.

Trial recruiters have been registering participants since last Thursday and have attended marae AGMs and other events to attract interest.

The team went to Ngongotahā Primary School this afternoon and will be at touch rugby this evening, as well as at an information evening tomorrow and a whānau day on Saturday.

The contact tracing card trial team will be there, alongside different community and health providers.

Monty Morrison, from the Te Arawa Covid-19 Response Hub, said the trial team was thrilled with the response from the community so far.

"Within just minutes of the announcement being made last week, we had people signing up in person and online. The response has been overwhelmingly positive from the local community – and beyond.

Morrison said people understood how important this trial was to help Aotearoa's fight against Covid-19.

"The work that we do now, in Ngongotahā, could make a meaningful difference for vulnerable communities and New Zealanders across the country."

Morrison said the most recent community case in Christchurch was further reinforcement of how important contact tracing was to the country's pandemic response.

"Covid-19 is not going away and those infected may not know they have it. Contact tracing is our best defense."

He said the faster the virus was tracked, the quicker we could stop the spread and help protect whānau.

A tracing card can be worn on a lanyard or clipped to the wearer's belt - the primary function being to build a memory of contacts so the wearer can be quickly alerted if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

It works by exchanging signals with anyone nearby who is also wearing a card and is not capable of tracking the wearer's location or identity.

The information is fully contained, encrypted, and protected on each individual card.

Want to meet up with trial recruiters?

• Ngongotahā Primary School - 2pm-4pm today.
• Touch this evening.
• A marae and community information evening at Waiteti Marae: Wednesday November 4 - 6pm.
• Whānau day will be at Ngongotahā Community Hall: Saturday, November 7, 10am - 2pm.

To register:

Register online on

Te Arawa Covid-19 Recovery website.

Cards are then picked up from 172 Ngongotahā Rd, next to the Gull Service Station. Participants will need to wear their cards for a week from Monday.