Federated Farmers is giving a shout out to government agencies handling the movement of essential workers across alert level boundaries, and to those DHBs and medical centres reaching out to rural people over COVID vaccinations.

"With Auckland now at Alert level 3 and access to takeaways resumed, there are still essential workers having to cross alert level boundaries south and north of Auckland. Many of them work in or with the primary industries - farmers, vets, stock transporters and food processors to name a few," Feds national board member and employment spokesperson Chris Lewis says.

"Quite rightly, essential workers are required to have proper documentation and it might all have been a big hassle.

"However, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, with the Ministry for Primary Industries, have made the process seamless and sensible. Hats off to them," Chris said.

"When the previous two alert level boundaries were in place it was all pretty messy so it’s great to see that feedback we offered to make improvements has been taken on board."

Federated Farmers also offers a pat on the back to Taranaki DHB for this week’s innovative bacon buttie breakfast COVID vaccination incentive in New Plymouth for workers who start early, and particularly for the wider roll-out of a mobile vaccination clinic to rural halls across the region.

"It’s a really busy time of year for farmers and their staff. The DHB’s recognition of the needs of rural communities deserves congratulations. We’ve seen other rural-specific efforts by medical centres and health boards in places such as Methven, Oamaru and Northland."

"Feds is sending out a challenge to other DHBs to look for ways to assist rural people to get their double jabs by pulling on the gumboots and mirroring what is happening in the Naki. If a bacon buttie is thrown into the mix as well, all the better!" Chris says.

-More information on the Taranaki Rural COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic tour dates can be found here. https://www.tdhb.org.nz/news/latest_news.shtml

© Scoop Media