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COVID-19 My Vaccine Passes will not be required for people to enter Hamilton City Council facilities from 5 April.

Councillors voted to revoke the policy at a formal Council meeting today.

The decision applies to all Council-owned and operated facilities where a vaccine pass has been a requirement for entry since 30 November 2021. Facilities include:

  • Hamilton City Libraries
  • H3 facilities including Claudelands Events Centre, FMG Stadium and Seddon Park
  • Hamilton Pools
  • Hamilton Zoo
  • Hamilton Gardens Information Centre, café and enclosed gardens
  • Waikato Museum, ArtsPost and i-SITE
  • Hamilton Park Cemetery chapels and offices
  • Te Rapa Sportsdrome
  • Enderley Community Centre
  • Customer Service Centre
  • Council Chambers in the Municipal Building.

H3 and a few other community facilities will still be able to have vax passport requirements implemented by hirers if they wish, but it is the hirers decision to do this.

While the Government is removing the requirement for vaccines passes from 11.59pm on 4 April for most sectors, individual businesses can decide on their own policies.

Council has followed Government guidance and revisited its risk-based assessments on facilities (used at the time to introduce passes) which shows it is safe to remove passes at facilities.

Mayor Paula Southgate said, given the removal of the requirement for vaccine passes by Government, it was timely for Council to review its own policy.

“I asked that this issue come back to the table because the situation has now changed.  So while I strongly support the vaccine, I support Council’s decision today.”

Chief Executive Lance Vervoort has been steadfast in his position that the wellbeing and safety of the community and staff has always been the priority and decisions have not been made lightly.

“The landscape has changed significantly since last year, it looks like we’re starting to move past the peak of cases too. It’s great we can lift the vaccine passes at our facilities; it feels like one more step towards normality,” said Vervoort.

“The vaccine passes did their job, along with other measures to reduce infection and transmission across public facilities over the last four months.”

Following this decision on facilities, Vervoort said a decision on the Council’s COVID-19 Staff Vaccination Policy will be made tomorrow.

For the most up to date COVID-19 information on Council’s public facilities visit: hamilton.govt.nz/changes

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