South Island Rowing has put in place safety procedures and controls to manage the risks associated with Covid-19 at the Meridian Rowing Centre. Cooperation is required by all of those who visit and use the facility to ensure that we can continue to enjoy the sport of rowing at Lake Ruataniwha.
Traffic Light System
SIR, CRA, ORA, MRA, and SRA are committed to running events with as minimal restrictions as possible. Therefore, upon implementation of the Traffic Light System (3rd December 2021) regatta’s hosted at Lake Ruataniwha will be limited to those vaccinated only, to allow for fewer restrictions at ALL traffic light level’s, and a relatively “normal” regatta experience for rowers and their whānau.
Running events without a vaccine mandate is near impossible and therefore SIR will require vaccines passes to allow for near zero restrictions at green & orange and allow regattas to take in a “Red” scenario with similar rules as our previous Level 2 plan. By mandating vaccines at all levels, we can provide the highest possible level of assurance that all our regattas can take place at any given Traffic Light Level.
As per Government guidance, students cannot be prevented from participating in sport based on their vaccination status. All students will be treated as vaccinated for the purpose of these events.
SIR and the Covid Regatta Committee are continually reviewing how the Government framework affects our Regattas and will keep our rowing community informed of any changes to protocols. Please direct any questions to covid@ruataniwha.co.nz
Protocol
Green and Orange
- Each team (entrant) to assign a Team Covid Officer
A nominated Team Covid Officer (CO) will need to be notified to the SIR COVID Logistics manager via the SIR contact register. - Contact Tracing & Vaccine Passes.
Team Covid Officers (CO) to return pre-event contact register by the notified due date to covid@ruataniwha.co.nz. CO’s will be required to collect and hold a hard copy in alphabetical order of their team’s vaccine passes, which will all be audited during the course of the regatta.
Along with their contract register, CO’s will need to sign & return a statutory declaration confirming every member of their team is vaccinated.
Information will be held by the CLM and may be shared with appropriate authorities for the purposes of contact tracing only. The information is required by health order to be held by the event host (SIR) for 2 months following the event. After 2months all information will be deleted. Information will be only be shared in the circumstance of a COVID-19 out break in the local area or within participants at the event. - Particpant Venue Access
CO’s will be given wrist bands to issue to all their team members (including support staff). Wrists band will grant partipants entrance into the SIR rowing complex via the Participant Entrance. - Spectators & Vaccine Passes
Spectators will be allowed at the event, subject to gate staff sighting a vaccine certificate. - Spectators Venue Access
Spectators will enter the SIR complex via the main gate. Upon sighting a vaccine certificate spectators will be issued a wrist band. Once a spectator has a wrist band they can come and go as they please from the venue.
The 500m – 1000m road will be closed to the public and be included as part of the regatta venue for the purposes of the event. Anyone entering the complex will be required to enter via either the participant or spectator gate. - Spectator Entry Fee
Spectators will be charged a $5 entry fee. EFTPOS or Cash.
Red
- The SIR “Level 2” plan applies
- Mandatory vaccine passes (all adults 18+ will be checked)
- NO Spectators will be allowed The entire SIR site, MDC managed land to the 1000m mark and at the start area will be used to split participants into zones of no more than 100 people.
- Pre-event contact registers required to be fill out and submitted to covid@ruataniwha.co.nz by deadline set for each regatta.
Information will be held by the CLM and may be shared with appropriate authorities for the purposes of contact tracing only.
The information is required by health order to be held by the event host (SIR) for 2 months following the event. After 2 months all information will be deleted. Information will be only be shared in the circumstance of a COVID-19 outbreak in the local area or within participants at the event.
The regatta will go ahead based on (but limited to) some of the following considerations:
- Regional travel rules allow participants to get to the regatta.
All Colours
- All teams intending to train at the Meridian Rowing Centre must submit a Training Notification Form at least 3 weeks prior to their camp.
Protocols for the camp will be communicated to attendees based on the traffic light scenario at the time and the overall numbers of people notified to be using the facility during the given period of time.
Teams that do not notify within the the deadline will NOT be granted access to the facility. - All participants will be required to be vaccinated for camps, to allow for as fewer restrictions as possible for the numbers attending at a given time.
The form and relevant safety information can be found at the link below:
COVID PROTECTION FRAMEWORK PLAN (16 MARCH 2022)
COVID-19 ALERT LEVEL 2 PLAN (12 NOV 2021)
NOTE: This plan is still relevant in a ‘Red’ traffic light scenario.