Covid-19: Vaccine certificates may be needed for a 'classic Kiwi summer', Jacinda Ardern says

Monday, 27 September 2021

An estimated 8000 people attended the 2021 Great Kiwi Beer Festival with live music including Hollie Smith and The Black Seeds.

Vaccine certificates may be needed for some events so New Zealanders can enjoy a normal summer, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

Talking to reporters after Monday’s Cabinet meeting, Ardern was asked if she envisaged New Zealanders would be able to enjoy a classic Kiwi summer in 2021/22.

“Yes,” Ardern replied.

“There are some things we might have to do to make sure that can happen. You may see requirements around vaccine certificates, so that things can continue to go ahead as we usually experience over a summer period, safely.”

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The 121 music festival was held at Tauherenikau Racecourse in 2020 just before the first covid lockdown. The event is returning in March 2022.

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The Ministry of Health and Customs are working on the Government’s vaccine passport, which will be able to confirm if the holder has been vaccinated against Covid. The tool was first floated to allow for international travel, but it is thought it could also be used within New Zealand.

Plans to use vaccine passports within countries have run into stiff resistance in some parts of the world. This protest was in Paris last month.

Festival organisers have asked the Government for a clear instruction about vaccine requirements, and restaurant owners are asking that vaccine passports be available for their industry, with almost two in three saying they see this as a tool for safer and steadier trading.

Health experts say a vaccine passport, with better contact tracing, is New Zealand’s best chance at controlling Covid-19 without reliance on broad lockdowns. But these digital tools come with their own concerns. Used domestically, vaccine passports empower discrimination against the unvaccinated, potentially blocking their access to events, venues and businesses.

Ardern said the Government was exploring the possibility of vaccine certificates. There was good evidence from around the world that the use of certificates created a safe environment for people, it allowed businesses to continue to operate, and it could make a difference to people considering whether to get vaccinated, Ardern said.

Decisions about vaccine certificates would be made well within the time needed by the organisers of summer festivals, she added. “That is very much on our minds.”

She thought those that had already had pre-sales would be able to find a way to make it work.

“I think the most important thing for people who want to participate in events like that is what can you do to make sure that no matter what these can go ahead.

“And I think they would want us to explore these, because that is a way that we can give greater certainty. I think they would rather that, than the potential of something being called off last minute,” Ardern said.

She considered vaccine certificates to be an incentive. “This is a way that we can give you safety and security to attend an event, knowing that those around you are that bit safer because of the vaccine, and also more likely to see that event go ahead without disruption.”

The Government was going to talk to the industry about the issue well ahead of the festivals. It would also be talking to a range of other sectors about vaccine certificates.

“Where it’s very clear there’s some real value are for those large scale events, but we’re open to discussing their use in other sectors, as well.”

The Government had been working on the idea for some time and had good legal advice on what it could do. It needed to be sure it could run a system that used digital technology, but was also accessible, so people who were not using a smartphone could demonstrate they were vaccinated, Ardern said.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said high vaccination rates would allow large events to be contemplated and undertaken safely.