Golf courses and major sports grounds will be able to carry out urgent maintenance and care for turf under alert level 4 restrictions from today.
The greens at the Glenorchy Golf Club near Queenstown and others around the country can now be cared for again. Photo: 123RF
Until now, the work was not considered an essential service, but that has changed, according to MBIE's website.
The types of places covered
- Golf courses - public and private courses
- Bowling greens and croquet greens - both public and private greens
- Turf at facilities which hold national events and external/ supplementary supply chain facilities required for the maintenance of that turf, and artificial turf facilities.
- Nurseries - all nurseries, including floral suppliers and bulb growers and nurseries supplying gardens.
Urgent maintenance work can now be carried out at garden centres. Photo: 123RF
Maintenance providers have been told that the work being carried out must be genuinely urgent.
They are also being told work should be limited to only that which is needed to avoid the degradation of key biological assets, and therefore doesn't include ornamental assets.
Operators are still expected to carry out minimal maintenance work.
The providers must also abide by practices to ensure when work is being carried out, it is being done in a safe manner. These include the limiting or elimination of physical interaction between staff, as well as the operation of split shifts, or staggered start times and meal breaks.
PPE has not been declared essential; however, the ministry has recommended the appropriate cleaning of tools, machinery and staff facilities, with specific cleaning at the end of the shift.
School sports fields, recreational grounds not used for national events, and driving ranges are not included in the changes.