Safe access to Nelson City Council’s facilities will work differently from Monday 24 January, as all of New Zealand has moved to the Red traffic light in the COVID-19 Protection Framework.

COVID-19 is in our community, and we need to take action to protect our vulnerable communities and health system from the virus.

Council provides a range of facilities and services, from campgrounds to venues, and has had to make decisions about each, that fit within the new framework. While the requirements at most venues remain the same as at the Orange traffic light, any new requirements will be clearly signposted.

Nelson City Council’s Incident Management Team Leader Alec Louverdis says the guidelines for Council facilities at Red are designed to protect the city from becoming overwhelmed.

“There is a very real risk that our health services will see more serious cases of COVID-19 than they have capacity to treat, so we must all do our bit to prevent that from happening. Our health workers are under considerable strain and we need to work together so they can do their job to the best possible standard.”

Below is a run-down of how Council facilities will operate at Red:

Libraries
A vaccine pass is required for access to Nelson’s public libraries. Learn more.

Elma Turner Library and Stoke Library will offer a Click and Collect service to ensure everyone can access their collections.

Customer Service Centre
Many people need to interact with Council on a face-to-face basis, which means vaccine passes will not be required to enter the Customer Service Centre.

There will be rules in place to ensure safety: 1m physical distancing, capacity limit of eight, masks compulsory for customers, and one-way entry/exit.

Pools and Gyms
Vaccine passes are required at Riverside and Nayland Park Pool, as well as Riverside Gym.

Founders Heritage Park
General admission: As Founders is largely an outdoor venue, a vaccine pass will not be required for entry, but 1m physical distancing and masks will be required. A vaccine pass will be required for Founders Café.

Events: A vaccine pass will be required for all events at Founders.

Organisers of events will be required to provide Council with a health and safety plan. Events are limited to up to 100 people with 1m distancing practised.

Gatherings: A vaccine pass is not needed to book a gathering at Founders. A gathering is limited to up to 25 people with 1m distancing practised.

Isel and Broadgreen House
New at Red: To ensure the health of visitors and the volunteers who run both Isel and Broadgreen houses, both facilities will close at Red.
This does not impact The Garden Window Kiosk at Isel House, which may remain open.

Campgrounds
Council is owner-operator of the Brook Valley Holiday Park, which has many long-term occupants. These people are not required to have a vaccine pass to access the place they live.

New at Red: New arrivals will be required to provide a vaccine pass.

Waahi Taakaro Golf Course
The golf course will not require a vaccine pass to play.
The golf club, which is separate from the golf course, does require a vaccine pass to enter the clubhouse, golf shop and club competitions and tournaments.

Wakapuaka Chapel/Crematorium
Vaccine pass requirements are at the discretion of the hirer or funeral director. If vaccine passes are used there are capacity limits of 25 people.

Workers at funerals and tangihanga must wear face coverings, and mask wearing by attendees is strongly encouraged in line with government guidelines.

Without vaccine passes, the chapel will require 1m physical distancing and will have a capacity limit of 25 people.

Funerals, tangihanga, burials at a cemetery
Vaccine pass requirements are at the discretion of the hirer or funeral director. If vaccine passes are used there are capacity limits of 100 people. 
Workers at funerals and tangihanga must wear face coverings, and mask wearing by attendees is strongly encouraged in line with government guidelines.

Without vaccine passes, the site will require 1m physical distancing and will have a capacity limit of 25 people.

Venues
Nelson City Council venues will operate differently depending on whether they are booked for an event or gathering.

For all venues, with the exception of Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows Centre, the following rules apply:

If a vaccine pass is required from customers:
Events and gatherings may occur with up to 100 attendees – the actual number of attendees allowed (up to 100) will depend on how many people can be in the space with 1m distancing.

If a vaccine pass is not required from customers:
Only gatherings can be held. At gatherings, there can be up to 25 attendees – the actual number of attendees allowed (up to 25) will depend of how many people can be in the space with 1m distancing.

The Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows Centre will always require a vaccine pass, as it is not possible to stop different events or gatherings from intermingling in public spaces.

Events run by Council or held at Council facilities
Due to restrictions around events held at Red under the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF), Council has made the difficult decision to cancel some of its upcoming Summer Events, and some events scheduled to be held at Council venues are also cancelled.

February’s Opera in the Park has been cancelled, with the event likely to be held in February 2023.

The Buskers Festival which was to be held at Founders Heritage Park this weekend, has also been cancelled, following discussions with buskers.

The Kai Festival, which was due to be held on Monday 7 February at Founders Heritage Park has also been cancelled.

The remaining Summer Movies Al Fresco have also been cancelled.

Events that are due to take place later in the year will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and the COVID-19 Protection Framework rules that are in place at the time.

For event updates and further details, go to the Its On website, nelson.govt.nz/summer-events or the Nelson City Presents Facebook page.

Marina Facilities and Office
As people live aboard their boats at the Marina, it is not practical to require vaccine passes to use Marina facilities. A 1m physical distancing rule will apply and mask wearing is strongly encouraged.

The Marina office will not require a vaccine pass, but only one person can enter at a time, due to limits on space.

Pascoe Street Kiosk (waste/recycling)
The transfer station kiosk will not require a vaccine pass. Kiosk users should remain in their car and pay using a contactless method only.

New at Red: Mask wearing and 1m physical distancing will be in place.

Citizenship Ceremonies
Citizenship ceremonies will not go ahead at red, pending guidance from the Department of Internal Affairs. If they do eventually go ahead they will need to follow these guidelines:

Ceremonies in the Council Chamber will be classified as events due to the numbers that will be gathering in a confined space. This means a vaccine pass will be required, and mask wearing will be strongly encouraged.

New at Red: There will be a capacity limit of up to 100 people based on 1m social distancing.

Public engagement meetings and events
Each public engagement meeting/event will need its own plan to determine the necessary requirements needed to be in alignment with the COVID-19 Protection Framework.

Meeting with Council staff
New at Red: To protect the health of staff and the public, all enquiries for duty planning and building officers will be responded to by email, phone or on Zoom/Teams. Please indicate your preference when making your enquiry and an officer will contact you at the appointed time. Please be aware that under Red, more Council staff will be working from home, in line with government guidelines.

As with the COVID-19 Alert Level System, Council will update the community with new guidelines should we move to a different colour, or if there is a change for any other reason.

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