The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation



 

Update - Friday, 21 August 2020 

COVID-19 Local Government Response Unit main page

  • The Auckland region (Auckland Council area) remains at Alert Level 3 until 11:59pm Wednesday 26 August and the rest of New Zealand remains at Alert Level 2.
  • The Response Unit remains on hand to support you. You can send enquiries to your usual SOLGM, LGNZ, DIA contacts or this inbox: LGCGcovid19response@dia.govt.nz

Report on financial impacts of COVID-19

  • Please find attached our third report on the assessed financial impacts of COVID-19 for councils and their response:
  • Financial Impacts Report 3 (August 2020) (PDF, 345KB)
  • The Finance workstream has been working across central and local government on the immediate COVID-19 effect on local government financial planning and viability; and working to ensure local government are well placed to support regional and local recovery.
  • The workstream has previously produced two reports on possible financial Implications of COVID-19 for councils. The reports were intended to assist with identifying key issues and areas to focus on; and help councils to craft support packages and recovery plans for themselves and their communities.
  • The first, in mid-April 2020, was an early snapshot assessment to help councils consider COVID-19-related challenges. The second report, released early-May 2020, built on the information in the first report. It provided more detailed information with reference to three potential COVID-19 Alert Level scenarios, assumptions and further information collected from councils about impacts in the fourth quarter of 2019/20 and rate-setting intentions for 2020/21.
  • You can view these reports on the webpage here: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Local-Government-COVID-19-Response
  • This third and final report in the series examines the decisions councils made in their annual plans for the 2020/21 financial year and compares those annual plans with long-term plan projections. This provides a clearer picture of what the assessed financial impacts on the councils would likely be and how they have responded.
  • We will publish this report on the Response Unit webpage over the coming days.
  • Decisions about the need for further analysis and reports will be made in due course, taking into account the potential impacts of the extension of Alert Level Three in Auckland. 

Display and use of QR codes

  • All businesses must display a NZ COVID Tracer QR code for each business location. This came into effect at 11:59am Wednesday 19 August 2020. You can view this legislation here: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2020/0187/latest/whole.html
  • We have had some questions raised about which council facilities and services this includes. As such, please find attached the updated guidance for council services at Alert Levels 2, 3 and 4 (PDF, 1.4MB). This has been updated to reflect where QR codes must be displayed.
  • In short, you must display QR codes for council businesses where you would previously have maintained manual contact tracing systems for all staff and public who entered the premise. This requirement does not extend to public toilets, reserves, parks and walking tracks. 
  • We appreciate local government showing community leadership in compliance with the requirements for businesses to display QR codes.
  • We would encourage council staff to promote and encourage the display and use of the NZ COVID Tracer App QR codes while they are out in the community undertaking their normal business.
  • Council staff can report businesses that do not respond to encouragement via the COVID-19 website’s QR code non-compliance link here: https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19/covid-19-compliance/

Other updates to the Guidance

  • In addition to the above updates to the guidance on council services to reflect where the QR codes must be displayed, this guidance has also been updated to reflect those council services and facilities where we would recommend staff or public wear a mask or facial covering across the alert levels.  These changes have been made in bold for ease of access.
  • Further changes have also been made to the Solid Waste section and table for transitioning through Alert Levels for CDEM groups.
  • We will work to upload this updated guidance on our webpage promptly.

Caring for Communities (C4C)

  • During the response to COVID-19 and the nation-wide lockdown earlier this year, C4C was established to better understand and focus on our vulnerable communities and to ensure that services were provided to them during full lockdown.
  • As we emerged from nation-wide lockdown in July, C4C became part of the COVID-19 All-of-Government Response Group and their purpose shifted to helping communities recover, with a new focus on supporting regional leadership groups that were already operating and helping those who wanted assistance in bringing the right people together. 
  • Our goal is to link central government leaders into the regional group or sub regions where there is an opportunity for central government funding to be targeted at regionally-led and determined recovery priorities. Some regions and sub regions have asked for parts of central Government to make follow up visits and we are following this up.
  • Leadership groups are set up differently in every region and reflect the nature, geography and character of their region.
  • When we talk about ‘regional’ leadership groups, we’re not suggesting the regional councils must be leading this.
  • We are working with the groups that are already established; not trying to set something new up.
  • C4C has also been working to prepare regions to undertake planning and readiness work in the event of a resurgence of community transmission. 
  • In early August, with the virus’ return to Auckland, C4C is now working to support the regional leadership groups in leading response at a governance level alongside the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) who are supporting CDEM Groups.  The CDEM Groups lead the operational coordination.

Foreign Nationals Support Programme: messages and milestones

  • The Assistance to Foreign Nationals Impacted by COVID-19 Programme (also called Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri by New Zealand Red Cross(NZRC)) formally began on 1 July.
  • Please find attached the week 8 Dashboard based on data up to midnight Wednesday 19 August (PDF, 715KB). This dashboard is unclassified – please feel free to share with your colleagues.
  • Programme delivery has not been impacted by the COVID19 alert level changes. The team continue to work with NEMA and other agencies to ensure close alignment of support for foreign nationals, particularly in Auckland.
  • With the changing COVID-19 alert levels, New Zealand Red Cross has updated the Visitor Care website to include information (translated into nine languages) informing foreign nationals how they can continue to receive support during each alert level. Content has also been included in relation to selfcare and wellbeing during the COVID-19 response, this content is translated into 16 languages.
  • As of 19/08/20, the team have received a total of 4974 applications for in-kind assistance, supporting 5648 people.

COVID-19 Response Preparedness

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