News Release – 15 February 2021
Ray Smith, MPI Director-General
Kia Ora,
I just wanted to update you with some helpful information now that Auckland has moved to Alert Level 3 and the rest of New Zealand Alert Level 2.
The lockdown will initially be for a period of 72 hours, until midnight Wednesday, while further investigations and tracing are conducted. This will be reviewed on a 24-hour basis.
The primary sector can continue to operate at both levels 2 and 3. Businesses and workers need to comply with the Government’s COVID-19 alert level settings and observe any protocols for their particular industry. For more information please see here.
An Alert Level boundary is in place around Auckland. Please see here. Many primary sector businesses will be able to travel across the Alert Level boundary. These include businesses involved in:
- primary processing, production and supply of food and drink. It also includes businesses involved in the production of packaging for the products of primary production for food ordrink and all businesses transporting freight.
- veterinary and animal health and welfare services, but only if travel between Alert Level areas is necessary to enable the service to be provided and not providing the service would result in animal welfare concerns.
More information about permitted activities and travel across Alert Level boundaries can be found here on the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) website.
You can view the health order for the Alert Level settings here.
Register to travel
MBIE has developed a Business Travel Register (see here) to enable businesses and organisations to request travel documents: either for permitted activities or, if required, to seek an exemption to travel from the Director-General of Health if your business activity does not appear on the permitted activities list referred to above.
The Business Travel Register will generate Business Travel Documents for workers to display at checkpoints. This includes a QR code, which enables Police at the cordon to verify the document digitally against the travel register. It is important that today you register your businesses for travel.
MPI is committed to working with the sector and I am confident that together we can deal with any issues that may arise.
Ray Smith
MPI Director-General
