Michael Wood outlines the Government’s new sweeping vaccine mandate for employees where vaccine certificates are required. (Video first published in October 2021). Click here to view video.

Te Papa to require vaccination for visitors, proposes vaccination for staff, Stuff, 23 November 2021

Te Papa will require its visitors to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The museum’s tumu whakarae/chief executive Courtney Johnston and kaihautū/Māori co-leader Arapata Hakiwai announced the decision on Tuesday morning.

The requirement would be effective from when New Zealand implemented the Covid Protection Framework on December 3. Children under aged 12, who cannot be vaccinated, will be exempt.

“Requiring vaccination will make Te Papa as safe as it can be, and keep the museum accessible for as many manuhiri as possible,” Johnston said. “This is a decision we have thought through very carefully. Te Papa is the museum for all New Zealand, and accessibility is vitally important.”

The museum would use My Vaccine Pass to check the vaccination status of visitors.

The museum was also proposing vaccination be required for all its staff, including contractors and volunteers. Te Papa has about 600 staff, working in a wide range of roles. Some work on the museum floor, others in the back office.

Staff intermingle and transit through all parts of the building, including public areas.

“Within Te Papa there are public spaces like exhibitions, our marae, shops and cafes, as well as behind the scenes areas like kitchens, laboratories, store rooms and office spaces. Staff need to move freely between these areas to do their mahi,” Johnston said.

Consultation with staff will happen next week with a policy approved after feedback was received.