Christchurch City Council is requiring its 2600 staff to be fully vaccinated under a new mandate.
Christchurch City Council already requires people using its public facilities, like Tūranga library, to be fully vaccinated. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The council last month mandated the use of vaccine passes at its public facilities.
In a statement, chief executive Dawn Baxendale said it was in line with a recent staff survey, in which 71 percent of staff respondents said they wanted greater protection in the workplace.
"New Zealanders are now travelling for their summer break and it is anticipated that we will have community transmission of Covid-19. We need to be prepared for to deal with the potential spread of the virus in our communities.
"The policy has since been refined based on feedback to an initial survey and two rounds of consultation, assessments of the risk for roles at the council, expert public health advice, and a review of relevant research."
The policy also reflect the risk presented by new highly contagious variants, such as Omicron, she said.
"Our work on this vaccine policy has been very thorough, but it needed to be given its significance in the ever-changing environment we currently face regarding Covid-19."
Baxendale said the policy would help protect staff, elected members, and residents.
The mandate takes effect on 10 January.