Kia ora/Hello,

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) crises rapidly progresses and we prepare ourselves to work in new ways with level 4 lock-down conditions considered. We want to reassure our stakeholders and community that our commitment to service continuity and business as usual is our  priority. We are doing all we can to keep our kaimahi/employees safe and healthy during this time as well as play our role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and supporting our whanau in the community.

We are working together as a team to uphold Kaitiakitanga throughout our response efforts through our active practice of responsibility and care, ensuring the welfare, health and security for all. This includes following the advice of the New Zealand Government and World Health Organisation and their recommendations for minimising the spread of this virus.

Over the past few weeks, we have taken a range of precautionary measures including:

• Educating our Kaimahi/employees, whanau, and whaiora about Coronavirus COVID-19.
• Educating our Kaimahi/employees, whanau, and whaiora on correct hygiene etiquette.
• Providing our front-line kaimahi/employees with appropriate PPE to protect themselves whilst working in the community as deemed necessary.
• Commencing increased cleaning and sanitisation of our common work areas in our office, whare and vehicles.
• Preparing our teams to respond quickly to any potential or confirmed cases.
• Asking any team members displaying flu like symptoms to stay home and to work from home.
• Providing our whare with pandemic kits (antiseptic wipes, gloves and paper towels, etc) and training in the use of those kits.
• Preparing our front-line kaimahi to consider alternative ways to provide on-going support to whanau whaiora.
• Daily management hui/meetings occur to review and plan responsive actions for Mahitahi kaimahi/employees and whanau whaiora.
  

BUSINESS AS USUAL: Our office is closed as of 5 pm Wednesday 25th March 2020, However our phone lines will still be operating between the hours of 8:30 am - 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Our on-call service will continue to operate for our whanau whaiora outside normal business hours as usual.

We acknowledge that during this time things can be overwhelming and encourage people to continue to stay in contact with whanau, friends and neighbors via online platforms or by phone. Alternatively you can free call or text 1737 at any time to confidentially speak to a trained counselor.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and act responsibly based on the advice of health authorities. This may mean we will prioritize our services as we take additional precautions. We appreciate your patience and your support as a valued stakeholder.

Ngā mihi