• Home
• NZ Economic Development
• Infrastructure Development
• Infrastructure Resilience
• Business Continuity
• Influenza Pandemic Planning
• Internal Boundaries
• Operators of Transmission

• Infrastructure Development

• Infrastructure Resilience

• Business Continuity

• Influenza Pandemic Planning

The Ministry of Health advises that

• network operators are expected to plan for, and use their best endeavours at the time to implement, arrangements to enable service continuity without crossing internal boundaries
• where necessary to ensure continuity of service and where alternative arrangements are not available, temporary access into pandemic-affected areas may be permitted subject to thresholds, qualifications and restrictions set out below
• temporary exits from pandemic-affected areas into pandemic-free areas is unlikely to be permitted other than in extreme emergency situations, also covered below.

Temporary Access into Pandemic-Affected Areas

Temporary access into pandemic-affected areas may be permitted subject to the following tests, qualifications and conditions.

Thresholds

• necessity that boundary be crossed to meet a situation that may significantly compromise infrastructure service continuity
• the need cannot be met by another resource already in the pandemic-affected area

Qualifications

• the person wishing to make the crossing is a bona fide representative or agent¹ of
  • a Lifeline Utility as defined in Schedule 1 of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002, including agents of those Lifeline Utilities
  • Solid Energy New Zealand Ltd
  • Airways Corporation of New Zealand Ltd
  • Maritime New Zealand
  • Another entity providing similar essential services (as agreed by the local Medical Officer of Health)
• the person carries identification establishing that relationship

Conditions

• the person is
  • aware of the risks involved
  • aware of places and situations to be avoided
  • when travelling within the pandemic-affected area, equipped with adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and similar supplies and is aware of how to use them
    Note: it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that staff likely to be required to enter pandemic-affected areas are adequately aware of the risks and how to manage them. Attachment 1 sets out some guidelines.
    
• the person reports to the local Public Heath Service after re-entering the pandemic-free area where travel originated
• the person complies with any other reasonable requirements imposed by health authorities at the time

The network operator should also advise the office of the relevant Medical Officer of Health of contact details of a person within their organisation who can be contacted to verify identification of the person crossing the boundary, and the purpose any journeys. This information should be advised in advance of the crossing (it is suggested that the advice be provided when areas affected by the pandemic have become clear).²

Temporary Access from Pandemic-Affected Areas into Pandemic-Free Areas

Temporary access from pandemic-affected areas into pandemic-free areas will not be permitted other than in extreme emergency situations. Any requests will need to be considered by the relevant Medical Officer of Health at the time. A very high threshold and very stringent conditions can be expected. As an example, full use of PPEs will be required.