Erika Whittome
fyi-request-
- e
ad @requests.fyi.org.nz
September
Dear Erika,
Re: Official Information Act Request: COVID- policies placed on grant funding
Thank you for your online request of Tuesday August
, in which you requested information under
the Official Information Act
. You requested:
Any communications between you and receivers of your grant money and employment policies from Oct
until the present time. Please include any information packs supplied to these receivers for c
vaccination policies; and
Any health policies for receivers of your grant money from Oct
until the present time.
On Wednesday
August
, you confirmed our interpretation of your initial request as:
Any communications, policies, or information relating to conditions or requirements placed upon EECA
grant funding, in regard to COVID- or Health.
EECA did not place any conditions or requirements upon its grant funding with regards to COVID- or
Health. Therefore, we are refusing your request under Section e - that the document alleged to contain
the information does not exist.
While outside the scope of your request (as it does not pertain to grant funding), the following information
may be of interest to you.
Based on best practice guidance supplied by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE),
EECA introduced a requirement for our Warmer Kiwi Homes programme Service Providers to be fully
vaccinated against COVID- if they were entering households. The requirement was effective from
January
. This was implemented through variations of contracts, with words to the effect of:
“The Service Provider must ensure that all Personnel who may enter a House to provide Services or have
any other face-to-face interaction with Households (relevant Personnel) under this agreement are
vaccinated with a COVID- vaccine by January
.
Wellington Level 8 ∙ 44 The Terrace ∙ PO Box 388 ∙ Wellington 6140 ∙ New Zealand ∙ P +64 4 470 2200
Auckland Level 10 ∙ AIG Building ∙ 41 Shortland Street ∙ Auckland 1141 ∙ New Zealand
www.eeca.govt.nz ∙ 0800 358 676
The Service Provider must ensure that all new relevant Personnel that it engages after January
are
vaccinated with a COVID- vaccine.
The Service Provider must provider a declaration in the form required by EECA by January
to
confirm the Service Provider’s compliance with this clause.
In all other respects, the Funding Agreement continues with full force and effect.”
This requirement was later repealed in all instances, effective July
.
In addition to the vaccination requirement for frontline Service Provider employees, we introduced a
‘Customer Interaction Protocol’ for Warmer Kiwi Homes programme Service Providers. This protocol
required Service Providers to complete screening calls with customers prior to any household visits, to
ascertain whether the customer was experiencing any COVID- symptoms, and/or whether they were
required to self-isolate. In the case that the screening call revealed the customer was either unwell or self-
isolating, the visit would be rescheduled.
This protocol requirement was also repealed in all instances, effective September
.
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 www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official information requests where
possible. Our response to your request will be published shortly at https://www.eeca.govt.nz/about/news-
and-corporate/official-information/ with your personal information removed.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Marcos Pelenur
EECA Chief Executive
2
