Type of role

Are they required to be vaccinated under
the Public Health Order?

Teachers, teacher aides, principals, administration staff, caretakers, cooks

Yes. These staff are required to be vaccinated as they may have contact with children or students and/or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Learning support staff and other education agency staff
(for example, Ministry of Education and ERO staff, NZQA exam invigilators) 

Yes. These staff are required to be vaccinated if they are visiting early learning services or schools to deliver a service that means they may have contact with children and students and/or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

School board members

The board member is required to be vaccinated if they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Otherwise, they are not required to be vaccinated.
 
The board may want to consider a working arrangement that enables an unvaccinated board member to conduct business online and/or at a time that students will not be present (such as evening board meetings).

Ministry-funded school transport drivers

Yes. Drivers of Ministry-funded school services are required to be vaccinated. This is because these people are carrying out work for an education service and they will have contact with children or students.

Bus drivers (general)

No. General transport workers such as public bus drivers (including dedicated school services funded by regional councils) or train conductors are not required to be vaccinated as they are not employed or engaged by a school or hostel.

Employees/volunteers of a contracted service attending onsite during times children or students are also present, including planned events and activities that may take place before or after normal hours
(for example, cleaners, tradespeople, nurses and health workers, staff engaged to deliver a programme or for a school event)

Yes. Employees of a contracted service physically attending a school or hostel site when children or students are also present are required to be vaccinated. 
 
This is because these people are carrying out work at or for a school or hostel and they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Employees/volunteers of organisations who provide a service on an education site (for example, the Life Education caravans, dental care, PLD providers, external Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme providers, social workers in schools)

Yes. Employees of a contracted service physically attending a school or hostel site when children or students are also present are required to be vaccinated.
 
This is because these people are carrying out work at or for a school or hostel and they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Employees of a contracted service attending onsite outside of school hours or when children or students are present
(for example, weekend lawn-mowing service, tradespeople outside of school hours/hours of operation)

No. These staff are not required to be vaccinated. The work will not be occurring at a time when children or students are expected to be present. 

After-school care services/out-of-hours music contracted by the school

Yes. Employees of a contracted service physically attending a school site when children or students are also present are required to be vaccinated.

After-school care services/out-of-hours music run by a private company on site

No. These workers are not required to be vaccinated under this Health Order as they are not employed or engaged by a school. These after-school care providers may be covered by other requirements.

Parents, caregivers or volunteers at an education outside the classroom (EOTC), learning experiences outside the classroom (LEOTC) programme or excursion

Yes. These people are required to be vaccinated because these people are carrying out work (unpaid) at or for a school or hostel and they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Employees or volunteers for providers of EOTC, LEOTC services or excursions which are offsite (for example, library, school camp, museum staff)

No. These workers (paid and unpaid) are not required to be vaccinated as they are not working “at” an education service or employed or engaged by the education service.
 
However, schools and kura are encouraged to check on the vaccination status of offsite activity providers as part of their COVID-19 health and safety assessments.

Parents/caregivers dropping off, picking up, or settling children at a school or kura

No. As the Order only applies to workers and volunteers, not people who are visiting the school.

Parents, caregivers and members of the community who are volunteers at the school, kura, or hostel

Yes. These people onsite are required to be vaccinated as they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.


If the volunteer is working offsite and will not have any contact with children or students as part of their role, then they are not required to be vaccinated.

Parents or caregivers attending meetings or events on site (for example, parent-teacher interviews)

No. As the Order only applies to workers and volunteers, not people who are visiting the school or hostel. 

Teachers who only work with students remotely, and never see their students in person

No. These staff are not required to be vaccinated if they will not have contact with children or students.

People who provide an educational service off site at a marae (or another significant cultural site) and are not directly employed/contracted by the school or hostel

No. People who work or volunteer at the marae but are not employed or engaged by the school or hostel are not required to be vaccinated as they are not working “at or for” the school or hostel.

Employees/contractors/volunteers of a school who provide an educational service off site
(for example, alternative education providers, activity centres, teen parent units)

Yes. These people are required to be vaccinated if they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Attendance advisors/kaiāwhina who work with young people to support them back into learning

Yes. These people are required to be vaccinated if they may have contact with children or students in the course of their work.

Student volunteers and students on placement

Yes. Those over the age of 12 are required to be vaccinated if they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Union representatives

Yes. These people are required to be vaccinated if they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

General public using school facilities after hours (for example, playground, school pool)

No. The requirement to be vaccinated only applies to workers and volunteers.

Residential therapeutic and respite facilities that deliver onsite education for school aged children (for example, Oranga Tamariki youth justice and care and protection residences, remand homes and community-based homes)

Yes. These people carrying out work at or for an early learning service, school or hostel are required to be vaccinated as they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Residential facility operated by Oranga Tamariki, which includes onsite education for school aged children provided by a registered school (for example, Kingslea, Central Regional Health School)

Yes. These people are required to be vaccinated if they may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present.

Unvaccinated person responding to an emergency on site (for example, burst water pipe, windows blown out)

We encourage schools to proactively engage with their regular tradespeople about their vaccination status to mitigate any possibility of unvaccinated peoples coming on to the school site in the case of an emergency.

Parents or caregivers coming into a playgroup that operates on a school site or site otherwise licensed for education and care (while other children are attending school or the early learning service)

Yes. They are required to be vaccinated if they are acting as a volunteer to support the child and they are present at a school site at a time when other children are present.