PSNZ Council Meeting Update Paul Whitham LPSNZ, PSNZ President The “new” PSNZ Council met in Wellington for the first time over the weekend of 6 to 7 November, with the two Auckland members joining via Zoom. It was a great opportunity for the new councillors to come together and bond as a team. I am looking forward to the contributions that they will make to our organisation. Here is a full report on the meeting, including material already circulated to members in a bulk email.
enables members to make their own decisions relating to vaccination, to become fully vaccinated if they wish to participate in future PSNZ events, or to consider their future membership should they decide not to become fully vaccinated and are concerned about their ability to access PSNZ events.
COVID vaccine mandate
In making this decision, we considered our membership demographic and acknowledged Ministry of Health guidance that older persons are more at risk of the impacts of COVID-19.
Council has considered a range of concerns related to COVID-19. We recognise that our events bring together groups of varying sizes, especially the National Convention but also a variety of workshops.
Our considerations are also intended to reduce the likelihood of events needing to be cancelled or postponed and the subsequent impacts, including financial, on both PSNZ and our members.
Under the most recent advice available there will be ongoing proof of vaccination requirements at venues that we use. This may extend to requirements of associated services such as transport providers. Council has considered how to best support the wellbeing of our members, and the various service providers and trade partners with whom we work. As a result, we have determined that all PSNZ arranged events will require participants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Should parties associated with our events require proof of vaccination, members will need to comply with their requirements and supply proof to those parties.
COVID guidance for clubs Council has been approached by two clubs, seeking advice on how to deal with COVID issues relating to their operation. In 2020 PSNZ did issue some guidance about suggested operations under level 2. It was decided that, as Council members were not experts in this area, the best advice was for clubs to look at material provided by the Ministry of Health, and the new traffic light framework. Then they would decide what was the most appropriate action for their members.
Ours is a relatively small incorporated Society and we wish to ensure that member resources are used wisely. We do not see the spending of members’ funds to check the vaccination status of participants at PSNZ events as a sensible expense to incur. As a membership-based organisation, we believe we can work on a trust model. This will enable us to avoid collecting private medical information from our members. This requirement will be effective from 1 February 2022. The choice of a date this far in advance
Swimmers at the Pont du Gard France by Bob Scott LPSNZ
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