New questions and answers will be added from time to time so keep checking back for new information. New entries display at the top of the page.

Note: Should you have a medical reason for not being vaccinated against Covid-19 and/or be concerned about termination of your employment being under consideration by your employer please contact NZNO for advice or support on 0800 28 38 48.

COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021

On 23 January 2022, the Government updated the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order to require people working in a variety of settings to receive booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccine (i.e. three doses in total for most people).

The following groups of NZNO members are covered by the Order:

  • Members working in managed isolation and quarantine facilities (MIQ), 
  • Members working in the health and disability sector, 
  • Members working in prisons, 
  • Members working at the border (e.g. ports and airports), 
  • Members working in the education sector (e.g. schools). 

Members working in MIQ, in the health and disability sector or at the border must receive their booster dose before the later of either:

  • 25 February 2022, or,
  • The date 183 days after the date on which they were fully vaccinated (for most people, when they received their second dose). 

Members working in prisons and the education sector must receive their booster dose before the later of either 

  • 1 March 2022, or,
  • The date 183 days after the date on which they were fully vaccinated (for most people, when they received their second dose). 

All NZNO members covered by the Order should have been fully vaccinated (two doses for most people) by 1 January 2022. 

NZNO supports the Government's policy of requiring health care workers to be vaccinated. Most health care workers are already vaccinated, and this Order provides reassurance and certainty to both health care workers and the public accessing health care services. 

The safety and wellbeing of health care workers is the key to overcoming the Covid-19 crisis and high levels of community vaccination help keep NZNO members safe. 

For clarity, a mandatory vaccination order simply means the Government has decided that Covid-19 vaccination is essential for people filling the affected roles. It does not mean that anyone is forced to get a vaccine.  

It is NZNO's view that members who are covered by the Order and decline the vaccine are potentially putting their jobs at risk. Being vaccinated has become a legal expectation of health care workers. Based on recent case law, NZNO does not see a wide range of options for members who choose not to be vaccinated for reasons other than any legal exemption.

Required sick leave after overseas travel

Question:

Can I be required to take sick leave if I have recently travelled overseas?

Answer:

All people entering New Zealand are required to self isolate for 14 days and as from 23:59 on 25 March we have moved to Alert Level 4 for four weeks, meaning people need to stay at home.

Under the Holidays Act 2003 sick leave should be used when a worker is unwell, or caring for an unwell dependent. However, there is no statutory or other obligation to exhaust sick leave if a worker is not unwell but is either compulsorily or voluntarily self-isolated (quarantined) after travelling from a country where COVID-19 is prevalent.

Before taking any action and/or requiring employees to use statutory/accrued leave, good faith obligations require the employer to consult with employees on other options such as working from home or remotely, and for the employer to explore paid special leave or discretionary leave. Members are advised that any agreements/arrangements made should be recorded in writing, even by email or text. Members should contact NZNO’s Member Support Centre on 0800 28 38 48 or nurses@nzno.org.nz and keep a written record of any decisions made likely to affect their employment such as deciding not to go in to work.

NZNO is working alongside other unions and with the DHBs to get clarification and consistency around issues such as leave and pay for members working in DHBs, but it’s a complex situation that has not been resolved at the time of writing.