New Zealand Flower Farmers deserve fairer treatment and consideration. Support contactless deliveries for cut flowers through level 3 and 4 Delta lockdown.

The reply from the Government is in and it was unfavourable for growers in Auckland

Dear Christy,

 Thank you for your application seeking a class exemption from the COVID-19 Public Health Response Order (Alert Level Requirements) for cut flower producers seeking to sell or distribute perishable stock. 

We realise that it is a challenging time for cut flower producers, given they are unable to sell and distribute stock at Alert Level 4, and sales are the only way for growers to realise the capital value of their stock. We also understand that the inability to sell products is not just an immediate concern for the growers but may also have long-term implications for the industry. 

Unfortunately, these things must also be considered against the need to prevent, and limit the risk of, the outbreak or spread of COVID-19, which have led to the current Alert Level 4 restrictions in Auckland.  Alert Level 4 has been designed and refined over the past 18 months specifically with the intent to constrain activity and movement as much as possible in order to give us the best chance of halting COVID-19 transmission through the community and eliminating the virus.  The list of permitted activity at Alert Level 4 was agreed by government after an exhaustive process, which considered a wide range of possible permitted activities before agreeing the current list.  Recent experiences of rapid and widespread COVID-19 transmission overseas, particularly following the emergence of the Delta variant, provide a further strong reminder of how critical it is to keep the bar for exemptions when at Alert Level 4 very high indeed.

The COVID-19 Public Health Response (Alert Level Requirements) Order (No 11) 2021 states that the Director-General may grant an exemption if satisfied that the exemption both is necessary or desirable in order to promote the purposes of the COVID-19 Act or Order, and is not broader than reasonably necessary to address the matters that gave risk to it.  The purpose of the Order is to prevent, and limit the risk of, the outbreak or spread of COVID-19 and to otherwise support the purposes of the COVID-19 Act.  Unfortunately, we have not concluded that your application for cut flower operators to sell and distribute stock at Alert Level 4 does not meet these requirements.

I understand that you will be disappointed to hear this news.  Please rest assured that we continue to review the current Alert Level status of Auckland regularly and the government will look to lower the level as soon as it is safe to do so.  Also, please see our website for the financial support available to businesses with reduced revenue over this time. 

Yours sincerely, Steve 

Steve Waldegrave l Group Manager Covid-19 Policy l Covid-19 Policy Response  l System, Strategy and Policy l Ministry of Health l Mobile +64 021 428 201 l Steve.Waldegrave@health.govt.nz

Level 4 Cut Flower farmers operating through level 4

Hello everyone.

It has been a pleasure reading all of your responses and seeing all of your supportive signatures.

Our submission to sell blooms during level 4 will be presented to Dr Ashley Bloomfield tomorrow Monday, 13/09/2021. 

This is the last day for signatures to be added to this petition as it will close tonight at 8pm. It is the last day for pushing the petition so if you know that people you know haven't signed then let them know by copying this link and pasting to your social media accounts or emails.

Many, many thanks to you all for your support through out our campaign.

The team at The face book Business Floral Activator.

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