OFFICIAL SITES FOR INFORMATION 
Call Healthline if you suspect you have COVID-19 symptoms: 0800 358 5453
For any other COVID-19 related queries, contact the government helpline: 0800 779 997
Need to talk? Call or text 1737
Essential business enquiries essential@mbie.govt.nzor 0800 22 66 57
Report breaches of self-isolation police.govt.nz
Mentemia App Free Phone Download for Mental Health 
WE ARE CURRENTLY AT
​ALERT LEVEL 1
Guide to Operating at Alert Level 1
CONTACT TRACING

To stop the spread of COVID-19, it’s important to be able to quickly identify and find the people who have come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19.

Businesses should help customers to keep track of where they’ve been by displaying the NZ COVID Tracer QR code poster.
Find out more about contact tracing and how to get your NZ COVID Tracer code poster.
​
Contact tracing

Wellington City Council Rippl App

12 May 2020
Kia ora,

​Using Rippl to manage contact tracing

Thank you for helping make contact tracing simple and secure for everyone across Wellington!

Wellington City Council is offering to cover the first three month licence cost for Council Controlled Organisations and Wellington’s cultural, recreation, business and community organisations to sign up to use Rippl - a simple and secure contact tracing app. The Council has partnered with local digital agency, PaperKite to make contact tracing across our city simple. This offer is only available to cultural, recreation, business and community organisations in and across Wellington city wards and suburbs.

How to set Rippl up for your organisation and customers
  • You’ll need an email address to register with Rippl online
  • If your organisation has more than one location where customers visit, you need to register a separately for each one. This is so each site has its own QR code in Rippl.
  • You will need a unique email address for each of the locations you register with Rippl. If you need to register a number of locations, and you only have one email address, then Rippl suggests (assuming your email provider supports it) you use a "+" after your email address. For example: joe.bloggs+site1@gmail.com and joe.bloggs+site2@gmail.com
  • Once you have registered with Rippl you will receive a QR Code poster in PDF format (example attached) with the location’s unique QR Code.
  • Print copies of the QR Code PDF poster to display at all entrances.
  • Keep the poster PDF in a safe place so that you can print replacements if required. If you do lose the PDF, you can get a replacement from the confirmation email sent to you by Rippl once you've registered.
  • Rippl has also developed a poster (example attached) explaining how people can check in and out. You can display these next to or near the QR Code posters.
  • You can register at any time on the Rippl website: https://www.paperkite.co.nz/rippl-contact-tracing/ by clicking on the ‘Get started’ button and follow the steps.

Need help registering online?

Get in touch with one of the Rippl team at PaperKite by using the online chat at https://www.paperkite.co.nz/rippl-contact-tracing/ or email rippl@paperkite.co.nz.

Click Here to see further questions and answers on how Rippl works.

Ngā mihi nui,
James Roberts
​Chief Digital Officer Wellington City Council

                                                                  CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW TO USE THE RIPPL APP

​WELLINGTON SUPPORT AND SERVICES MAP

Finding the support and services you need during the Covid-19 lockdown has just become a lot easier in Wellington with the launch of an online interactive map and directory. Developed by Wellington City Council, the map shows who to contact for support and essential services and where to find them in your neighbourhood. 

SOCIAL SECTOR INFORMATION

Covid-19 Social Impact Report and Dashboard
​
The Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit is releasing a fortnightly Covid-19 Social Impact Dashboard  see  report  to try and record the outcomes of COVID-19 on our nation, but particularly for poorer, vulnerable Kiwi facing serious hardship in this new normal. This is an important resource welcomed by NZCCSS.  

Community Networks Aotearoa 

Community Networks Aotearoa is updating a special CoVid 19 page on their website daily.  This is the link to the page. https://communitynetworksaotearoa.org.nz/covid-19-updates-info-resources/

MSD List of ‘Essential Social Services’ developed for the national response to COVID-19

Update from MSD – For Essential Social Service Providers - 8 April 2020

On this Page:
NEED HELP?
Funding Information

This page has messages from some funder's and information regarding applying for funding during the
COVID-19 crisis.

​Emergency Food Services

This page has advice, resources and information for community groups providing emergency food services. There are also some information for those wanting to get emergency food.

​Student Volunteer Army Help

How to get help from the SVA and advertising flyer for distribution

​ASSISTANCE FOR THE ELDERLY IN WELLINGTON

Older people in New Zealand - Please ask for help and stay connected! Age Concern Wellington, along with Age Concerns throughout New Zealand, want to make sure all older people are supported through this pandemic. During a time of uncertainty and social distancing it is normal to worry and feel stressed. 
​We are here to help you: please get in touch: 04 499 6646 or info@ageconcernwellington.org.nz

How Age Concern is Helping Seniors Get Through
 
Helping our seniors connect with their community in an important part of what we do and now it’s more important than ever. Fortunately, some of our most isolated and vulnerable people in the community are already connected with volunteers through our Volunteer Visitor Service.  However, over the next few weeks and months there will be many more people needing volunteer support.
 
What we’re doing
  • Help with shopping and essential items – We’ll connect seniors who need help with shopping with volunteers in their area to ensure they are able to stay safe at home. Shopping will need to be left in an agreed place so you can maintain distance. We’re also asking people to try and limit the use of cash where possible by coming to an arrangement for reimbursement. This could be by online banking or cheque – please do not share bank cards or PIN numbers. We also recommend setting a limit to the amount to be spent to ensure there’s no confusion.
  • Advice and support – we’re continuing to give advice and support to seniors by phone and email on the contacts below.
  • Become a phone friend – volunteer to give someone a regular call to make sure they’re okay and keep their spirits up. Whether you’re older or younger it’s nice to have a friendly chat.
  • Become a pen pal – bring joy to someone’s day and rediscover the lost art of letter writing. Letters can be sent by email and NZ Post when possible. We’ll match people who would like to keep in touch through a regular letter.
  • Our weekly Chatter email newsletter will provide information, encouragement and entertainment! If you use email please sign up to Chatter. We know not everyone has email so we’re asking volunteers to print and deliver it to seniors in their area.

Helping seniors stay fit with our online Steady As You Go exercise class – click here to watch and join in on YouTube.
 
If you would like to request help with shopping please call 04 499 6648 or 04 499 6646 or email info@ageconcernwellington.org.nz.
If you would like to volunteer, please complete the form below so we know where you are and how you’d like to help.
Please keep in touch with what’s happening through our weekly Chatter email newsletter. Subscribe here.
 
Want To Help? Sign Up Here
 

COORDINATED SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE AND ISOLATED IN THE CAPITAL

Wellington City Council’s Community Services is working alongside outreach teams and other core support groups in a coordinated approach to look after the more vulnerable members of the city.  https://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/news/2020/03/coordinated-support-for-vulnerable-and-isolated-in-the-capital

MULTILINGUAL RESOURCES

Below are some useful links/resources for those groups working with multilingual communities  
Working with multilingual parents & children?

The Health Literacy Project has published factsheets explaining COVID-19 to children in 35 languages. All of the materials were reviewed and vetted by physicians and medical school faculty members at the Harvard hospitals. These materials are freely available for download and distribution without copyright restrictions. Access them here


​RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE DEAF COMMUNITY

  1. A Facebook page has been set up by the Deaf community called: Deaf Positive NZ.  This page has been set up to offer a way for the Deaf community to connect with each other during the lockdown by hosting online activities, exercise, art, story telling etc.) and offering online informal and formal supports for Deaf people across NZ.
  2. Deaf Aotearoa’s Hauora service is a nationwide service that understands and responds to Deaf and hard-of-hearing people’s needs. The Hauora service offers: needs assessment and coordination; applications for assistive equipment; information and advice - https://www.deaf.org.nz/what-we-do/hauora/
  3. Deaf Aotearoa are hosting the most up to date accessible information in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) for the Deaf community about the evolving Covid-19 situation. For more information go here: https://www.deaf.org.nz/covid-19/.
  4. WWW.COVIDNZSL.INFO | Bringing it all together! This is a website which has been set up for the New Zealand Deaf community, to find, share and create content related to COVID-19. This includes all the latest updates and a livestream page with an up-close shot of the NZSL interpreter during daily live-streaming sessions, and open calls for NZSL translations of news, articles, and radio programmes – to ensure that Deaf peoples' knowledge around COVID-19 is on a par with that of the hearing community.
​
VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES
​Volunteering New Zealand has released resources for organisations using volunteers during COVID-19: 


Looking for volunteers? Check out this helpful list of how to find them

WORK AND INCOME INFORMATION 

  • Please don’t worry – you’ll continue to be paid your regular benefit payments.
  • MSD has already done a bunch of things to make it easier for now.
  • If you’re already getting Jobseeker Support, Sole Parent Support or Supported Living Payment, you don’t need to provide another medical certificate.
  • If you’re already getting Disability Allowance and Child Disability Allowance you don’t need to do anything – they will continue to be paid.
  • For now there will be no annual reviews or social housing reviews.
  • Special benefits won’t expire.
  • ​There will be no new obligation failures for now.

​Remember, the Work and Income website, www.workandincome.govt.nz is the place to go for the latest information.

DOWNLOADS AND RESOURCES
PANDEMIC RESPONSE PLAN 
​
Transparency International New Zealand has shared their pandemic policy which can be adapted and used by other organisations. The policy is available on their website see link below.
 
TINZ Health & Safety Policy – Pandemic Response Plan  View or download the TINZ Pandemic Response Plan .pdf version


WORKING REMOTELY INFORMATION AND TOOLS
​
This resource introduces links to digital tools and information that can help you and your team work remotely in an effective and safe manner.

We've organised these into three groups: 
Click on the link below to find our more:
https://community.net.nz/resources/nzntrust/working-remotely-tools-and-links/?mc_cid=34856695b9&mc_eid=e5d9ef8154

How to Become a Videoconferencing Power User

If you fancy the idea of bringing your community together online, products like Zoom are pretty good and easy to use. 
As the pandemic pushes work online, Zoom is the new office.
Follow these tips to get the most out of those video meet-ups.
 
https://www.wired.com/story/tips-for-using-zoom/

Working from Home Planners - Download
​
LEAD has designed two planners to ensure you do not fall foul of the common pitfalls of working remotely:

  • Challenges with leading or being part of a virtual team
  • Difficulty in separating work life from home life
  • Feelings of isolation and loneliness
  • Hours that fly by with seemingly 24-hour workdays
  • Inappropriate and ergonomically unhealthy workspaces
  • Lack of (or too many) breaks
  • Distractions from family and friends (Afterall you are 100% available!)
Adding to this is that we are now all working virtually in a high stress and unfamiliar environment. We risk not taking care of our own wellbeing and spending our waking hours juggling work and the new needs of our families.
 
These planners will help your team to work together in a virtual world and organise their days to help them be productive and achieve their goals.

Down Load Your Free WFH Planner Here

SELF ISOLATION

About self-isolation

Self-isolation is an effective precautionary measure to protect those around you – your family, friends, colleagues – from potentially contracting COVID-19. It means taking simple, common-sense steps to avoid close contact with other people as much as possible, like you would with the seasonal flu virus. We know it’s a stressful time, but taking these measures will help protect you, your family and all of New Zealand from COVID-19 and other common infectious diseases.

You should minimise contact with others in your household while you wait for the test result. Others in your house only need to self-isolate while you wait for results if you are a close contact of a confirmed or (probable) case of COVID-19. 

You should not have visitors to your home, but it is okay for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food and supplies. 
See if you or others become unwell while self-isolating below for more information.

You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, pillows or other items with other people in your home. After using these items, you should wash them thoroughly with soap and water, place them in the dishwasher for cleaning or wash them in your washing machine.

Your health care provider will advise when you are able to leave self-isolation.

There is more information on all of these aspects on this page.
​

​These cards can be used to communicate with your neighbours in the event that you, or they, need to self isolate. 

Website created by Justin Meade - Community Engagement Services. 2016