Lake Taupo Hospice Trust Inc - Rangatira Park

On the 19^th of October 2021 the government updated the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order to require anyone conducting high-risk work in the health and disability sector to be fully vaccinated by the 1^st of January 2022.

Included in the government’s definition of high-risk work are both regulated professionals and individuals performing non-regulated work.

We have since sought clarification from the government to determine how this relates to our volunteer workforce, some of whom visit Izard house and some who work alongside our clinical and family support teams.  The criteria for non-regulated workers are as follows.

• Are in frequent contact, face-to-face contact, or are in close proximity to healthcare workers providing a health service. 
• Work where a health service is being provided. 
• Do not necessarily provide a health service, but their role requires frequent contact/engagement with those providing health services and is considered tied to a role within a healthcare setting. 

Using the government’s criteria, under this order any volunteer working in the below roles will need to be fully vaccinated by 1 January 2022.

• Equipment Delivery Team
• Tuesday Club and Friday Wellness Volunteers
• Bereavement Volunteers
• All Hospice Gardeners

All retail Volunteers, we foresee COVID-19 vaccination being made mandatory in the near future, we will keep you updated. 

As a healthcare provider, we are required by the Ministry of Health to record our workforce Covid vaccination status.

We are very proud that all the staff at Izard Hospice House are fully vaccinated, and we strongly encourage all members of our volunteer community to be vaccinated. We do however respect individual choice, if you are one of our valuable volunteers performing one of the above roles and do not wish to be vaccinated, our Manager of Volunteer Services, Julie Brunton will happily work with you to find a volunteer role that does not require a vaccination.

If you do have any questions or require any further information, please contact Karlynne Earp, our CEO on 07-377 4252 or [email protected].

Kind regards,

Lake Taupo Hospice team