Tēnā tātou katoa,
Today the Prime Minister announced the new COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF), that will come into effect when each DHB region has 90% full vaccination.
The CPF will eventually replace the Alert Level System.
COVID-19 Protection Framework
- Green aims to allow almost normal social and economic activity while continuing to build health system capacity
- Orange aims to avoid exponential growth in cases with moderate population level controls, and
- Red aims to protect the sustainability of the health system and the health of communities through population-level controls.
- Click here to view the simplified (but more detailed) Framework system.
Framework key notes
- Vaccination Certificates provide greater freedoms at each level.
- Businesses previously considered high-risk will be able to fully open to vaccinated customers at green and orange and continue to operate with some restrictions at red.
- Businesses that choose to open to the unvaccinated will face restrictions in order to suppress the virus amongst those most likely to have it.
- There will be extra public health precautions built in at higher levels to minimise the impact of COVID-19 and suppress the spread of the virus.
- Modelling shows 90% of eligible people fully vaccinated provides a high level of coverage, keeping most New Zealanders safe and helping slow and control outbreaks, assisting public health authorities to do their job
- More details on the framework will be announced on Monday 29 November, once further decisions are made by Ministers.
Transition key notes
- Country will move into the CPF once each DHB region meets 90% fully vaccinated.
- It is likely the CPF will be applied in the Auckland region first, once the three Auckland DHBs have 90% or more of their eligible populations fully vaccinated.
- This is likely to happen in December. Auckland will move directly into the Red status.
- The rest of NZ will continue in the Alert Level system. Ministers will announce when the rest of the country, or parts of the country, move into the CPF.
Māori Vaccination
$120 million package is being made available to help increase Māori vaccination rates. This will provide direct, financial support to iwi and Māori organisations.
Phase One ($60m): will provide direct financial support to iwi and Māori community providers to accelerate vaccination uptake over the next two months.
- Starts next week
- Complements existing vaccination roll-out efforts
- Focus on areas where Māori vaccination rates are low - Counties Manukau, Lakes District, Taranaki and Tairawhiti, Northland and Bay of Plenty DHB areas
- Will align with priority groups identified by the Ministry of Health, including rangatahi, tangata whaikaha, and whānau in remote communities.
Phase Two ($60m): will support iwi and Māori-led and community-designed preparedness initiatives, to build and adapt community social infrastructure for the new framework, drawing on existing iwi pandemic response plan and community resilience initiatives.
Examples of activities that might be funded include:
- support for testing and other public health measures under the new framework
- community outreach and mobilisation of resources to support rapid responses to any outbreak
- support for diagnosis and home-isolation.
Phase Two funding will be available in early November, so that a first tranche of proposals can be underway before the end of the year.
Business Support
Resurgence Support Payment (RSP)
After the next scheduled payment on 29 October, the RSP will move to fortnightly payments, and will be double the current rate.
The first payment will be made 12 November.
Currently, the RSP is paid at a base rate of $1500 per eligible business and $400 for each full-time employee up to a total of $21,500.
For the payments starting on 12 November, this will be $3000 per business and $800 per FTE, up to 50 FTEs. This will make the maximum fortnightly payment $43,000.
The enhanced RSP will be available until Auckland moves into the new framework. The Wage Subsidy will continue to be available on the current criteria while areas of the country are still in Alert Level 3.
Final details of the support to be provided under the new framework will be agreed in November.
There will be a transition payment made available to support businesses when they move into the new framework.
A $60 million package for business advice and mental health support will be made available to help Auckland businesses through this transition period.
Businesses will be able to apply for up to $3000 worth of advice and planning support, and then receive up to $4,000 to implement that advice through the Regional Business Partners programme.
As part of the package, $10 million is available for mental health and wellbeing support through a programme to be designed with the EMA and Auckland Business Chamber of Commerce.
Low Income workers
Income limits for Hardship Support through the Ministry of Social Development have been temporarily lifted so more people can receive assistance.
Currently, a single person working 30 hours per week on the minimum wage is not eligible for Hardship Support from Work and Income.
Government has announced it is lifting the income limits for assistance to 40 hours at the minimum wage, or $800 per week and $1600 per week for a couple with or without children.
The temporary income eligibility criteria will come into effect from 1 November for four months. 28 February 2022 will be the last day the increased limits will apply.
Vaccination
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine works like other vaccines. It teaches the immune system to recognise and fight the virus.
It can’t give you the disease because it does not contain the virus, or a dead or inactivated virus, or anything that can affect our DNA.
The vaccine is gone completely from your body within a few days, leaving your immune system ready for action if COVID-19 comes near you.
The Karawhuia website provides more information on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Click here to find out how to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
Noho ora mai,
NZ Māori Tourism
