Tēnā koe Paul

 

I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 1
February 2022 for:

 

All details regarding public consultation around mandating libraries
and/or public facilities (such as the ASB Pool), including

 1. where and when these meetings were held, who was in attendance, and
all minutes resulting from them.
 2. all written feedback regarding the council policy and the breakdown of
those in favour of vaccine passes versus those against.
 3. can you confirm that all the council's actions on these matters comply
with any/all relevant laws and byelaws.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 2 March 2022, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by
then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.  For requests
that are likely to involve substantial collation and/or research there may
be a charge for staff time, however if this is the case we will advise you
before we process your request.

 

Your request is being handled by the Legal and Democracy Services team. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact the team on
[1][email address].  If any additional factors come to light which
are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that
these can be taken into account.

 

Ngā mihi

Erinn

 

 ​
LGOIMA
LGOIMA Requests
Call  +64 3 543 8400   |   [2][Tasman District Council request email]
Private Bag 4, Richmond 7050, NZ
[3][IMG] [4][IMG]
[5][IMG]
This e-mail message and any attached files may contain confidential
information, and may be subject to legal professional privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, please delete
​

show quoted sections

Kia ora Paul

I refer to your official information request dated 1 February 2022 for:

 

All details regarding public consultation around mandating libraries
and/or public facilities (such as the ASB Pool), including

 1. where and when these meetings were held, who was in attendance, and
all minutes resulting from them.
 2. all written feedback regarding the council policy and the breakdown of
those in favour of vaccine passes versus those against.
 3. can you confirm that all the council's actions on these matters comply
with any/all relevant laws and byelaws.

 

The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act requires that
we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working
days after the day it is received. This means a response is due by 2 March
2022.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to meet this time frame and we are
therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our
decision to 11 March 2022.

This extension is necessary because your request is for a large quantity
of information and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably
interfere with our operations

We will however endeavour to provide a response as soon as possible before
this date.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available
at [1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.  

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact the Operational Governance team
on [2][email address]. 

Thankyou for your patience.

Ngā mihi

Erinn

 

 

 ​
LGOIMA
LGOIMA Requests
Call  +64 3 543 8400   |   [3][Tasman District Council request email]
Private Bag 4, Richmond 7050, NZ
[4][IMG] [5][IMG]
[6][IMG]
This e-mail message and any attached files may contain confidential
information, and may be subject to legal professional privilege. If you
are not the intended recipient, please delete
​

From: LGOIMA <[Tasman District Council request email]>
Sent: Thursday, 3 February 2022 11:07 am
To: Paul Blackham <[FOI #18409 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Additional information
regarding the council decision to impose mandatory vaccination passes for
entry to libraries and/or public facilities

 

Tēnā koe Paul

 

I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 1
February 2022 for:

 

All details regarding public consultation around mandating libraries
and/or public facilities (such as the ASB Pool), including

 1. where and when these meetings were held, who was in attendance, and
all minutes resulting from them.
 2. all written feedback regarding the council policy and the breakdown of
those in favour of vaccine passes versus those against.
 3. can you confirm that all the council's actions on these matters comply
with any/all relevant laws and byelaws.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 2 March 2022, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by
then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.  For requests
that are likely to involve substantial collation and/or research there may
be a charge for staff time, however if this is the case we will advise you
before we process your request.

 

Your request is being handled by the Legal and Democracy Services team. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact the team on
[7][email address].  If any additional factors come to light which
are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that
these can be taken into account.

 

Ngā mihi

Erinn

 

  ​
LGOIMA  |  Governance Services
LGOIMA Requests
 

show quoted sections

Kia ora Paul

I refer to your official information request dated 1 February 2022.

 

Please find the information you requested below:

 

All details regarding public consultation around mandating libraries
and/or public facilities (such as the ASB Pool), including

1.       where and when these meetings were held, who was in attendance,
and all minutes resulting from them.

 

Tasman Libraries

No community consultation was undertaken. Council is under no obligation
to consult on an operational matter made under the provisions of the
Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the COVID-19 risk management
guidelines set out by WorkSafe.  

 

Council is unable to provide minutes of the decision to introduce the My
Vaccine Pass (MVP) because it does not exist, as per s.17(e) of the
LGOIMA.

 

The decision to introduce the MVP at Tasman Libraries was made by the
Council’s leadership team with the goal of ensuring that the Council meets
its obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.  As an
employer and a PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking), Council
has a primary duty of care to workers and a responsibility to look after
others who could be at risk (including customers, visitors and children)
by the work of the business.    

 

In coming to this decision, Council prepared a series of COVID-19 work
task risk assessments based on the risk factors set out by WorkSafe. The
results of these risk assessments indicate that an assessment of a ‘High
Risk’ work environment applies to our libraries. The Council took steps to
manage this risk by introducing mandatory vaccination for all library
employees and MVP requirements for all persons entering our libraries.  

 

In addition to this, the Council considered the health and safety of
residents who use these facilities. In particular, the number of older
people who are at increased risk of serious adverse outcomes from COVID-19
and children who, due to their age, are not eligible for vaccination.  

 

The members of the leadership team who were involved in this decision
include Janine Dowding; Leonie Rae; Susan Edwards; Richard Kirby; Steve
Manners; Dennis Bush-King; and Jenna Neame. The People, Safety and
Wellbeing Manager was also present.

 

Richmond Aquatic Centre

 

Council is required to use the MVP at the Richmond Aquatic Centre by
Central Government. This is because the Aquatic Centre contains a gym and
pool, which are regulated businesses or services under the COVID-19 Public
Health Response Orders. 

 

Other facilities

 

When Council owned facilities are leased and run by others, it is up to
them to make the decision on how to run their facility as long as it meets
the legal requirements depending on the traffic light setting.  

 

2.       all written feedback regarding the council policy and the
breakdown of those in favour of vaccine passes versus those against.   

 

The Council is unable to answer conclusively as much of the feedback was
directed to staff members and Councillors verbally and was not recorded. 
Of the emails that were sent to the Council and recorded in a centralised
system prior to the decision being made, 16 were in favour of MVP being
introduced and 61 were against.  

 

Given the high levels of vaccination in the community, currently 95.5%,
the Council does not consider the unsolicited feedback received to be
representative of the communities’ views on this topic.  

 

The Council has collated all the feedback that has been sent to the Office
of the CEO or LGOIMA email addresses from residents in relation to the
decision to require a MVP for physically accessing our facilities.  A copy
of this is attached.

 

This document contains a number of redactions which are explained below:

 

·       The names and some identifying details of individuals who have
provided feedback have been removed to protect their privacy in line with
s7(2)(a) of LGOIMA.

 

·       The names of staff members have been removed to maintain the free
and frank conduct of public affairs by protecting staff members from
improper pressure or harassment in line with s7(2)(f)(ii) of LGOIMA.  

 

The Council has carefully considered the public interest of releasing this
information and has decided that the need to protect those emailing the
Council and our staff members outweighs any public interest in the release
of those details.

 

We note that some of the feedback received contains abusive and racist
language which is still contained in this document. The Council has zero
tolerance to such language being directed towards our staff members and
will take action were necessary to protect staff from any on-going abuse.

 

3.       can you confirm that all the council's actions on these matters
comply with any/all relevant laws and byelaws.

 

These measures were taken in line with the Health and Safety at Work Act
2015. To the extent applicable the Council has also relied on the COVID-19
Public Health Response Orders, the COVID-19 Response (Vaccinations)
Legislation Act 2021, and the COVID-19 risk management guidelines set out
by WorkSafe. 

 

The Council is comfortable that it has complied with all relevant laws and
bylaws.

 

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
[1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact the Legal and Democracy Services
team on [2][email address].

Ngā mihi

 

 

From: LGOIMA <[3][Tasman District Council request email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 1 March 2022 11:28 am
To: Paul Blackham <[4][FOI #18409 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Additional information
regarding the council decision to impose mandatory vaccination passes for
entry to libraries and/or public facilities

 

Kia ora Paul

I refer to your official information request dated 1 February 2022 for:

 

All details regarding public consultation around mandating libraries
and/or public facilities (such as the ASB Pool), including

 1. where and when these meetings were held, who was in attendance, and
all minutes resulting from them.
 2. all written feedback regarding the council policy and the breakdown of
those in favour of vaccine passes versus those against.
 3. can you confirm that all the council's actions on these matters comply
with any/all relevant laws and byelaws.

 

The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act requires that
we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working
days after the day it is received. This means a response is due by 2 March
2022.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to meet this time frame and we are
therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our
decision to 11 March 2022.

This extension is necessary because your request is for a large quantity
of information and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably
interfere with our operations

We will however endeavour to provide a response as soon as possible before
this date.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available
at [5]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.  

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact the Operational Governance team
on [6][email address]. 

Thankyou for your patience.

Ngā mihi

Erinn

 

 

  ​
LGOIMA  |  Governance Services
LGOIMA Requests
 

From: LGOIMA <[7][Tasman District Council request email]>
Sent: Thursday, 3 February 2022 11:07 am
To: Paul Blackham <[8][FOI #18409 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Additional information
regarding the council decision to impose mandatory vaccination passes for
entry to libraries and/or public facilities

 

Tēnā koe Paul

 

I acknowledge receipt of your official information request dated 1
February 2022 for:

 

All details regarding public consultation around mandating libraries
and/or public facilities (such as the ASB Pool), including

 1. where and when these meetings were held, who was in attendance, and
all minutes resulting from them.
 2. all written feedback regarding the council policy and the breakdown of
those in favour of vaccine passes versus those against.
 3. can you confirm that all the council's actions on these matters comply
with any/all relevant laws and byelaws.

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 2 March 2022, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by
then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.  For requests
that are likely to involve substantial collation and/or research there may
be a charge for staff time, however if this is the case we will advise you
before we process your request.

 

Your request is being handled by the Legal and Democracy Services team. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact the team on
[9][email address].  If any additional factors come to light which
are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that
these can be taken into account.

 

Ngā mihi

Erinn

 

  ​
LGOIMA  |  Governance Services
LGOIMA Requests
 

show quoted sections