30 August 2021

CROSSING BORDERS IN THE DAYS AHEAD

Purpose

This Advisory adds to the information we sent out on Saturday about crossing borders when alert levels change.

Cabinet is meeting today, and the Prime Minister will be providing an update at 4pm, so we may add to this information tomorrow.

Register for travel now

We recommend operators register with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Business Travel Register, as many will have done in previous lockdowns.

The registration process is open on MBIE’s website.

As at 8pm last night, 224 transport companies had registered and travel documents were issued for 1830 individual staff members. Initial feedback is that it is easy to register, and you get the documents straight away.

Transport operators doing business between Level 3 and Level 4 will need documents to ensure both the passage of trucks and truck drivers, and of their essential workers who may live either side of the road blocks that will be set up between Level 3 in the Waikato and south, and Level 4 in Auckland and North.

Everyone will need to carry identification and proof of their travel purpose, even as they move around an area with one alert level.

What will you receive from the Business Travel Register?

The business owner receives a one-page pdf for each worker they have registered, which you can then email or print off for each worker. The worker just needs to show the pdf, which has a QR code, either in hard copy, or on their phone, if required at the border.

The Police personnel on the border can just scan the QR code and send them on their way. They may not even need to stop them if the driver holds up the QR code to the window.

The QR code will ensure faster processing than other paperwork, such as a letter from an employer.

It is mandatory to carry identification and proof of the purpose of travel, but it is not mandatory to register with the Business Travel Register. However, the RTF strongly recommends it as the most efficient way to deal with road blocks.

How to register

Apply for Business Travel Documents on Business Connect. You can either use your existing Business Connect account or create a new one.

What you need to apply:
• The physical address of the location each worker will be travelling to and/or from so you can group employees according to where they work.
• The travel category you are applying under along with a brief explanation about how your business operations fit within the category and why this travel is required.
• The boundaries you or your workers might need to travel across (if there is more than one).
• The type of travel your workers will need to do (see here for travel types).
• The names of all the workers you are requesting documents for. Make sure you include your own details if you need to travel, as well as those of your workers.

After you have submitted your request, you will get an automatic email saying your
request has been received. You will also be emailed if any additional information is
needed to support your request.

If you don’t already have a RealMe, don’t worry

Given the challenges of RealMe, the Business Travel Register actually uses the non- verified version of RealMe. This means that if a business has a RealMe login, it can use this. But if it does not, the business can create a non-verified account (all the business needs is a user name and a password to create an account). The business cannot use this non-verified account for anything sensitive or personal, but is fine for this purpose.

Boundary road blocks

Police will operate the road blocks between areas that are Level 4 and Level 3, on Auckland’s southern borders.

Where they can do so safely, Police will establish a dedicated truck lane to wave trucks through.

On occasion, they may stop trucks to check the driver’s travel documents.

We have been advised of the following regarding road blocks on the southern borders of Auckland – locations below.

Southern Boundary
• SH1 (Northbound) intersection with Oram Road
• SH1 (Southbound) Mercer off-ramp
• SH2 Mangatawhiri, (Eastbound) off-ramp
• SH2 Mangatawhiri, (Westbound) Koheroa Rd off-ramp
• Highway 22 / Pukekawa Churchill Road intersection
• East Coast Road, Waharau

Cook Strait ferries

The Cook Strait ferries are expected to be operating under Level 3 from 11.59pm tomorrow, Tuesday 31 August.

We recommend those using the ferries exercise all precautions to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, including those mandated by the Government, such as mask wearing and QR code scanning.

Only freight drivers, essential service workers and people with specific exemptions will be permitted to travel on Cook Strait ferries.

Bluebridge travel updates can be found here.

Interislander travel updates can be found here.

Information may change overnight

We are awaiting the wording of the new Public Health Order to cover the changes in alert levels. There are indications that the previous rules for Level 3 may change, and that the restrictions on Level 4 may get tighter. We will circulate this information when we get it.

Message from Nick Leggett

We are hearing loud and clear from Government that the Delta variant of Covid-19 is a game changer. Given how highly contagious this variant is, the best advice we can give is: protect your workers against infection by following all the advice and rules issued by the Government.

It is essential that freight continues to move freely and that will be dependent on how compliant we are as an industry, and how well we protect our workers.

Take no passengers

In previous lockdowns, truck drivers have been asked to give members of the public a ride across the border. Given that the infection risks are so high now with the Delta variant, and that the restrictions and policing will be much tighter, we can only strongly advise against doing this.

Keep up to date

The Government will announce its changes to alert level requirements here.