No Vaccine Pass for Hastings Public Facilities - NZ

We expect an immediate hold on the requirement of The My Vaccine Pass for access to Hastings District Council public facilities outside of the government mandate, to allow for democratic local decision making processes in accordance with the purpose of local government; public disclosure of their process on this decision and opportunities for public consultation: 

For this petition to be accepted you are required to provide your address. Your details will be held in confidentiality with HDC and Equal Rights Hawkes Bay only. Valid HDC addresses include, Havelock North, Hastings, Flaxmere, Clive, Te Awanga, Haumoana, Poukawa, Bridge Pa, Maraekakho, Kereru, Twyford and Waimarama.

We acknowledge and appreciate that before 24 January 2022, HDC had provided equal access to all public services where legally possible.

However, a decision was made by HDC without council members or public consultation, now requiring My Vaccine Pass in order to access the following public facilities:

• Hastings District Council Customer Service Centre 
• Hastings City Art Gallery and Toitoi: Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre
• Camberley and Flaxmere Community Centre
• Flaxmere, Hastings & Havelock North Library
• Aquatics Hastings (Flaxmere, Clive, Frimley and Havelock North)
• Hastings and Havelock North i-SITES.
• Hawke's Bay Crematorium and Hastings Cemeteries

The New Zealand Government does not require vaccine passports for these facilities, we request disclosure on the process the HDC has gone through** to come to the decision that the Government COVID Protection Framework is not adequate?

In comparison on the Napier Libraries website, it states:

https://www.napierlibrary.co.nz/about-us/news/article/12/napier-libraries-under-the-traffic-light-system

“… under the red setting of the government traffic light system (also known as the COVID Protection Framework). As a public facility under this setting, you will not require a My Vaccine Pass for entry ....”

We are asking the HDC to follow the The Local Government Act 2002, section 14:

https://www.localcouncils.govt.nz/lgip.nsf/wpg_URL/About-Local-Government-Local-Government-In-New-Zealand-How-councils-should-make-decisions

- Conducting their business in a clear, transparent and democratically accountable way.

- Making themselves aware of and having regard to the views of all their communities.

- Taking account of the diversity of their community’s interests, both current and future.

- Taking a sustainable development approach (thinking about the social, economic and cultural interests of people and communities, the need to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment, and the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations).

**https://www.localcouncils.govt.nz/lgip.nsf/wpg_URL/Policy-Local-Government-Legislation-Local-Government-Act-2002

Thank you for your support, 

Equal Rights Hawkes Bay

www.erhb.co.nz

Equal Rights Hawkes Bay    Contact the author of the petition