Kia ora Jai
 
Thank you for your email.
 
Auckland Council has confirmed that as an interim position many of its
staffed services and facilities will require the use of vaccination passes
from 3 December until at least 17 January 2022. Further decisions will be
taken in coming weeks on the position after 17 January 2022.
Facilities that require vaccination passes

* Gyms/Fitness Functions
* Learn to swim programmes (for customers older than 12 years)
* Recreation/Leisure Centres
* Pools and aquatic centres
* Holiday parks
* Libraries
* Arts facilities
* Community centres
* Animal shelters
* Service Centres (integrated and standalone)
* Cemetery offices (with alternatives)
* Visitor Centres – Arataki, Botanic Gardens
* Recycling centres

 
Facilities that do not require vaccination passes

* Baches, camping sites and lodges (Regional Parks)
* Community venues for hire through booking
* Cemeteries (excluding offices)
* Waste transfer stations

 
The interim position has been adopted to ensure that we can do our bit to
keep our staff and our communities healthy and safe as we move into the
new Covid-19 protection framework.
 
You have also asked for a breakdown of the portion of residential annual
rates as a percentage of individual rates demands that is attributed to
these facilities. Rates are not calculated by individual service.  The
general rate is set to fund all council activities not fully funded by
other funding sources, such as targeted rates or user charges (e.g. parks,
street lighting, sport grounds, pools, libraries, footpaths). It may be
helpful to note that rates are set to have all facilities available for
use, and it is ratepayers’ personal choice whether or not to use council
services, just as it is their choice to be vaccinated or not. Council also
provides many online and other place-based services that continue to be
available to Aucklanders.
 
We want to stress that people without vaccination passes will still be
able to access many of our services, but the services may be delivered to
unvaccinated customers in a different way than before. For example, we are
currently planning for outdoor service provision wherever possible at our
libraries, and will continue to provide our highly popular Wi-Fi, digital
and ‘Click-and-Collect’ services.
 
It may also be helpful to note that those with a medical exemption will be
able to obtain a vaccine pass and entry into any locations that require
the use of vaccine certificates:
[1]https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
 
For full details on the traffic light system, which is being followed by
Auckland Council, please refer to the Ministry of Health website:
[2]https://covid19.govt.nz/
 
 
Ngâ mihi
 
Joanne Kearney | Senior Business Partner Privacy & Official Information
Governance Services | Auckland Council
Visit our website: [3]www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
 
 
 
 
 
 
_____________________________________________
From: Jai Ganesh <[FYI request #17842 email]>
Sent: Monday, 6 December 2021 2:19 AM
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Auckland Council Rates Rebates
 
 
Dear Auckland Council
 
As an Auckland resident that has chosen not to receive a Covid-19 vaccine,
due to past vaccine injury, I am being denied access to all of my local
council amenities such as gyms, pools, libraries art galleries and
museums.
 
Can you please provide the following:
 
(1) A full list of council funded public amenities in Auckland City that
will require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry with the Traffic
Light System
 
(2) The proportion of my council rates attributed to those amenities.
 
If I am to be denied access to such amenities that my rates pay for, I
would like a rates rebate for that portion of my rates.
 
Yours faithfully,
 
Jai Ganesh
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
 
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[4][FYI request #17842 email]
 
Is [5][Auckland Council request email] the wrong address for
Official Information requests to Auckland Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[6]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
 
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[7]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
 
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
 
 

show quoted sections

Kia ora Jai,

 

I refer to your further request for a breakdown of appropriation of rates
by council provided facility. Auckland Council considers that your request
has been answered in our earlier email response to you (please see
highlighted below).

 

Should you believe that we have not dealt with your request appropriately,
you have the right to make a complaint to the [1]Office of the Ombudsman
and seek an investigation on this matter.

 

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us
again.

 

Ngā mihi,

 

Norma Tinai I Senior Privacy & Official Information Business Partner
Governance Services
Ph 09 301 0101
Auckland Council, Level 25, 135 Albert Street, Auckland
Visit our website: [2]www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

 

From: Jai Ganesh <[FYI request #17842 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 18 December 2021 11:09 am
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Auckland Council Rates Rebates

 

Dear Official Information,

 

"It may be helpful to note that rates are set to have all facilities
available for use, and it is ratepayers’ personal choice whether or not to
use council services, just as it is their choice to be vaccinated or not."

 

If the council is so big on choice, then an unvaccinated can choose to not
pay 100% of rates if they can't avail 100% of the services as the council
isn't making 100% of the facilities available for use for the
unvaccinated. If community safety is an issue, then I'm sure the council
would allow negative tested people into the services? Given the vaccinated
can get sick and transmit it'd be a good idea to test everyone. Unless of
course safety is not an issue and you're discriminating when there are
other reasonable avenues to ensure safety available.

 

Please provide a breakdown of appropriation of rates by council provided
facility i.e. what % of rates go to which facilities and which of those
are discriminating against the unvaccinated and I'll be happy to help do
the maths for you for future use.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Jai Ganesh

 

show quoted sections

Good afternoon Jai,
 
I have liaised with our treasury and transactions department who will
provide this information to you direct.
 
Kind Regards,
 
Grace Ray
Senior Privacy & Official Information Business Partner
 
 
_____________________________________________
From: Jai Ganesh <[FOI #17842 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 15 February 2022 2:26 am
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Auckland Council Rates Rebates
 
Dear Official Information,
 
Thanks for that, please provide a breakdown of your budget allocated to
each of the services in the year 2021.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Jai Ganesh
 

show quoted sections

Kia Ora Jai,

We've received your request on behalf of official information.

Please see attached our 10 year budget plan that's specific to your request, from pages 31 to 41 it outlines councils financial overview and overall budget allocation for the years 2021-2031.

This is also publicly available on the Auckland Council website: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plan...

Nāku noa nā | Regards

Sayne Cassidy Turoa | Rates Analyst
Group Treasury
Auckland Council | 135 Albert Street | Auckland | New Zealand
Visit our Website: http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

show quoted sections