3 July 2025
Erika Whittome
[FYI request #31151 email]
Tēnā koe Erika Whittome
Official Information Act request
Thank you for your email of 30 May 2025, requesting information for the number
of staff at the Ministry of Social Development (the Ministry) who were terminated
in 2022 due to not being vaccinated for COVID-19.
I have considered your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).
Please find my decision on each part of your request set out separately below.
1. It has come to my attention that a worker in the Northland Region MSD was
terminated on 9 March 2022 with a "Covid-19 Vaccination Policy - Final
Decision" letter for not being vaccinated.
2. Would you please share the total number of staff who were terminated at
MSD in 2022 due to not being vaccinated for covid-19?
As of 8 March 2022, there were 258 Ministry employees who did not meet the
requirements of the MSD COVID-19 Vaccination Policy (the “Policy”). The
Ministry issued approximately 1501 letters of termination to employees for
breach of the Policy on that date. Termination was on notice, with a final date of
employment of 8 April 2022.
On 1 April 2022, based on new guidance, the Ministry rescinded all notices of
termination. Therefore, no employees working for the Ministry on 1 April 2022,
were terminated for breaching the Policy. Of the approximately 150 employees
who received notices of termination on 8 March:
• some chose to vaccinate and had their notices rescinded
• some chose to leave during the notice period (notice in lieu) and prior to
notices being rescinded
• some chose to retire
1 Of the remaining employees who did not meet the policy requirements, approximately 100
employees had indicated that they were waiting for the Novovax vaccine, were on Parental
Leave or were on Leave Without Pay. The 150 is approximate because the figure was constantly
changing.
The Aurora Centre, 56 The Terrace, PO Box 1556, Wellington
– Telephone 04-916 3300 – Facsimile 04-918 0099
• some subsequently returned to work at MSD after having left
• some simply carried on working having had their notice rescinded.
Of the approximately 150 employees who received a notice of termination, there
were 43 that left during the notice period, electing to take payment in lieu of
notice. Because they had already left and were no longer a Ministry employee on
1 April 2022, they did not have the notice to terminate rescinded. Of the 43:
• 3 requested to return to work (agreed to by the Ministry and their service
was treated as continuous)
• 5 requested to retire (agreed to by the Ministry and their reason for
departing was recorded as ‘retirement’).
• 35 neither retired nor returned to work for the Ministry.
I will be publishing this decision letter, with your personal details deleted, on the
Ministry’s website in due course.
If you wish to discuss this response with us, please feel free to contact
[MSD request email]. If you are not satisfied with my decision on your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman. Information about how to
make a complaint is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi nui
pp.
Anna Graham
General Manager Ministerial and Executive Services
