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Kelmarna

covid-19 Vaccine policy

COVID-19 Vaccine Policy for Kelmarna Gardens Community Farm

To keep people safe and our farm open, we have introduced a COVID-19 vaccination policy regarding roles related to our site and operations.
Purpose of the vaccination policy

The policy provides people with greater certainty when working, visiting, and participating on our site and ensures that the majority of our programmes and activities will remain open and operational.

It was put in place after our team undertook a COVID-19 risk assessment for each of the many roles related to our farm and is based on the findings regarding risks for individuals engaged in those roles and the people they interact with.

Vaccination provides a higher level of protection against COVID-19, reduces the risk of the infection spreading, and lowers the chance of people suffering serious illness. Where required, vaccination is regarding eligible people aged 12 years and three months or older.

A core part of our work at Kelmarna Gardens is to provide horticultural therapy for people affected by mental health conditions and intellectual disability, who have been shown to be at significantly higher risk from COVID-19.

On top of this, we have large numbers of people using the site in many different ways every week, including school and other groups of under 12s who are currently unable to be protected by 
vaccines themselves.

The decision to enact this policy has been made following significant thought and discussion, as we are aware that it will mean that some members of our community will not be in a position to participate as they would like to at Kelmarna, for the time being.

​Our primary responsibility is to protect our staff, volunteers, and the many vulnerable people for whom Kelmarna is a safe haven, and we are confident that this is the best approach to keep them safe at this moment in time. ​

Roles where My Vaccine Pass verification is required​
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Staff & Contractors

All staff and contractors working at Kelmarna Gardens must either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had their first vaccine dose by 11:59 Thursday 2 December 2021, with the second dose to follow within 6 weeks.
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Volunteers

All volunteers
, including therapeutic gardeners, Farmhands participants, shop volunteers, education volunteers, and Soil Factory volunteers, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof of vaccination with a valid My Vaccine Pass in order to take part in farm operations and programmes at Kelmarna Gardens.
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Workshop Facilitators & Participants

All workshop facilitators and participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof of vaccination with a valid My Vaccine Pass in order to host, purchase tickets for, or take part in workshop sessions at Kelmarna Gardens.
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Organised Visits, Garden Tours & Venue Hires

Anyone visiting Kelmarna Gardens with an organised group, for a garden tour, or as part of a venue hire arrangement must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof of vaccination with a valid My Vaccine Pass in order to use or hire any part of our site.

Roles where My Vaccine Pass verification is not required​
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Farm Shop & Soil Factory Customers

People visiting Kelmarna Gardens to shop at our Farm Shop or to drop off food scraps at Soil Factory are not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to have proof of vaccination.

However, the Farm Shop and Soil Factory drop-off area will continue to be managed with precautions, including mandatory face coverings, scanning or signing in, an indoor capacity limit for the shop, drop off recording, and 1m distancing.
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Casual Visitors

People visiting Kelmarna Gardens to enjoy the space as casual visitors are not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to have proof of vaccination.

​However, our site as a whole will continue to be managed with precautions, including mandatory face coverings, scanning in, and 1m distancing.


Casual visitors may not enter any indoor areas other than to shop at the Farm Shop or to use the toilet block as an essential amenity, and they must follow all of the relevant precautions in every area.

How Kelmarna will enforce this policy

Signs are posted across our site, reminding people of the precautions in place and making our site QR code as accessible as possible.

All staff, contractors, and volunteers are vetted and managed in compliance with this policy in order to undertake their roles.

Our bookings terms and conditions are updated for workshops, organised visits, garden tours, and venue hire arrangements, with a requirement to declare that every eligible person in a booking is fully vaccinated and can show valid proof on the day.

Educational visits are planned carefully in close collaboration with all school, kura, or other groups to ensure that accurate risk assessments are undertaken and all health and safety concerns are addressed.

Farm Shop staff will be reminding shoppers to scan in, keep face coverings on, and help stick to the capacity limit for the total number of people allowed in the shop at any one time.

Soil Factory customers will have the option of online contactless drop-off recording as well as a physical log book for drop-off recording on site.

Casual visitors will remain free to enjoy our site and will be monitored with regard to observing proper precautions and to avoid interacting with facilities where vaccination requirements are in place.


Kelmarna Gardens will refer serious infringements (i.e. threats to staff and visitor safety) to the NZ Police. We will also monitor the level of compliance to assess whether any activities need to cease or facilities be closed if significant health risks arise.
Help keep our site and community safe
​

With the move to the traffic light framework, we are delighted to be able to welcome more people back on-site and safely resume most of our programmes and activities.

While vaccination is required in a number of roles, we are also pleased to be able to safely maintain access to our site for some purposes for everyone in our community.

We encourage people to reconnect with us, providing they can do so safely. This means following the precautions, adhering to health & safety requirements, and taking a high degree of personal responsibility for their impacts on our space and the people in it.

To help stay safe and keep our community safe, please remember to:
​
  • ​follow Ministry of Health guidelines
  • sanitise or wash hands regularly
  • wear a mask and physically distance around others
  • stay at home if unwell.
Keep up healthy habits
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​More information on COVID-19, the Protection Framework traffic light system, getting vaccinated, accessing your My Vaccine Pass, and infringement penalties can be found at the government's Unite Against COVID-19 website.
Kelmarna Gardens Community Farm
Charities registration CC51662
  • Home
  • About
    • The farm
    • Our team
    • Supporters
    • Paddock development
    • Farming animals
  • Get Involved
    • Farm Dinners
    • Volunteer
    • Farm shop
    • Farmhands programme
    • School Visits >
      • Links & Resources for Distance Learning
    • Horticultural therapy
    • Visit & tours
    • Photo / Film Location
    • Corporate & team experiences
    • Meat pack sales
  • Workshops
  • Soil Factory
  • Contact
  • Donate