Vaccine certificates to get into events and festivals will be the first step in their use to access other businesses, a Waikato business leader says.

It was only a matter of time, Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good said, having seen the way airlines were looking at making evidence of vaccination compulsory, combined with their use elsewhere internationally.

“I see it also already overseas that you will need some form of vaccination proof if you are going to the likes of festivals or similar and so for the event, hospitality and retail sector and probably tourism, those four sectors will definitely be looking for something like that, and I would be fascinated to see what general business would like out of that as well.”

The government’s announcement of plans for vaccine certificates meant Kiwis would need to get vaccinated this month if they wanted to go to large events over the summer, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday.

Vaccine certificates might also be needed to go to hospitality venues like bars and restaurants, she said, though the government ruled out their use for essential services like supermarkets, universities, and medical services.

Good, though, felt certainty for business meant the managers or owners of enterprises like stationers and tile shops would also want to ensure their staff were safe under health and safety legislation.

“I do see that there is an inevitability about some form of identification about vaccines whether it be electronic or a card or whatever.

“What business is looking for is certainty, one way or t’other, they want certainty so they can get on with the job, they don’t want something wishy-washy, they want clear-cut... and the sooner, the better, so we can get on with adapting and modifying our behaviour to ensure everyone is safe.”

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate supported the concept of a certificate for the good of the events and hospitality sector.

“Events are really important to our city. We’ve got the Women’s Cricket World Cup in February next year, we’ve got Balloons over Waikato in March. If this initiative will allow those events to go ahead, I’m all for it.”

But she sounded a note of caution.

“It must be easy to use, and it must be easy to administer. We’ve got to keep it simple. Otherwise, we’ll lose people.”

Dean Calvert general manager Greenstone Entertainment, organisers of summer concerts in Taupō, Whitianga and Queenstown, agreed with Good that the most important thing for events was certainty.

“If that becomes a mandatory requirement… I would say every event organiser and promoter would welcome it because they can put their event on, even if something is happening outside.”

Organisers could not recover costs if the rug got pulled out from under them three days ahead of a concert, said Calvert, which could involve millions in unrecoverable costs.

Artists in the United States and Europe had been vaccinated for nearly a year, he said.

“It’s just standard over there now, you are not allowed to go to those things unless you have been double vaccinated.”

Organisers could currently refuse entry to the intoxicated or the underaged for R18 events so it should be viewed as just another requirement in the terms and conditions, he said.

The vaccine certificate will be able to be printed out or displayed on a mobile phone, with the government keen to get it fully launched by November. It is not built into the current Covid-19 app, but would be a web app.

Ardern admitted on Monday that the country’s goal of getting to zero cases appeared unreachable, but said the vaccine roll-out would be able to keep Kiwis safe – though this has stalled with the number of first doses dropping to just 12,000 a day.

There have been widespread calls for some kind of vaccine mandate for people entering various spaces.

Ardern has indicated that the Government would be comfortable with businesses like cafés or concert venues barring the unvaccinated.

“When it comes to others forms of hospitality – restaurants, bars, cafés, events – I think if you ask those operators ‘If using vaccine certificate meant they could stay open safely would you use them’, I think many them would say yes – but we are going out and talking to the industry on this,” Ardern said.

Credit: Stuff.co.nz