Two weeks ago Vestry confirmed St Barnabas was to be Vax Pass site - read on for full statement of the policy

On Friday 3 December New Zealand moved into the Traffic Light Framework with the South Island being in the ‘orange’ regime. As you will know by now, we are now under the ‘orange’ regime. During the week Vestry confirmed its decision to move the whole St Barnabas site to ‘entry by Vaccination Pass.’ This decision was made by reviewing information that came to us from the Diocese, the Anglican Bishops of New Zealand and of course Government legislation that applied to churches. Staff then undertook a ‘health and safety review’ giving consideration to the number of groups using our facilities, staff capacity and the meeting load on the St Barnabas Centre during the hall project.

Vestry and Staff considered the proposal that some meetings taking place on our site could be by Vaccination Pass and some not. This would have had the advantage of allowing those groups who had members without a pass to continue providing that attendance would not exceed 50.

However after careful consideration of the above information it was decided that a mixed approach was not workable on the St Barnabas site. The principal reasons were that we could not guarantee that deep cleaning could take place between different groups, nor could we guarantee that mingling between groups in the foyer or toilets would not take place.

Vestry and Staff are aware that this decision will adversely affect some people and groups, however it was out of a concern to comply with the law and to ‘love our neighbour’ that this decision was made.

As a consequence, please note the following;

• If you need help to access your Vaccination Pass please ring the Parish Office on 351 7064 and one of our staff will contact you to help you through the process.
• If you don’t have a smartphone or access to a computer, you can call 0800 222 478 to request a pass. You will need your NHI number and will may be asked some questions to confirm your identity. There are several ways to find your NHI number including a prescription or prescription receipt, a prescription medicine bottle label, a hospital letter, an x-ray or test result. You can also go to a pharmacy that administered vaccinations.
• If you would like to speak with one of our staff about any questions or concerns you may have, please don’t hesitate to ring Mark (0274327474), Jenny (02102518826), Pauline (021650103) or Jo (0275451185).
• Please note that the purple appointment cards that you were given when you received your injections are not proof of vaccination. You will need the official Vaccination Pass.
• We have appointed Vaccination Pass Monitors who will verify the Vaccination Passes of parishioners as they enter group meetings or worship. This will take place outside the venue. Parishioners and group participants are asked to have their Vaccination Passes ready and allow time for this.
• You will need to continue being masked and continue to scan the QR code as you enter.
• There are a number of options if you don’t hold a Vaccination Pass. If and would like to receive Holy Communion contact Jo Cotton and she will arrange Home Communion for you. Alternatively you may like to access our services through livestreaming. To do this, click the link on the Home Page of the parish website. Finally Holy Communion is being offered at the Transitional Cathedral on Tuesdays at 12.05pm or Sundays at 12.15pm

GETTING READY TO SHOW YOUR VACCINATION PASS

• We require people to show their Vaccination Pass in order to attend services of worship, events, and gatherings in all our parish buildings.
• When you arrive, please show or scan in your “My Vaccine Pass” with one of the Monitors on duty. If you have an exemption, that will show up as OK on the scanner. If you are under the age of 12 years and 3 months you do not need to show a Vaccine Pass.
• Because we are also responsible for the community groups that also use our site, they are also required to comply with entry by Vaccination Pass.
• We are doing this because we are committed to caring for everyone, and especially for those who are most vulnerable. We want to keep everyone safe. We need to be sure that only vaccinated or exempt people are present. This minimises the risk of anyone getting infected with Covid 19.

This approach is being taken by most Anglican Churches in the country and follows the best health advice, including the Pakeha Bishops and our own Bishop Peter. Other churches are also taking this approach. Requiring Vaccine Passes is a practical way of loving our neighbours.

Please get in touch with one of our parish clergy if you have questions or concerns. We are here to support you through this new era of pandemic response.