Covid sick days for Council Workers 2020-2023
Erika Whittome made this Official Information request to Auckland Council
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From: Erika Whittome
Dear Auckland Council,
In 2020-2023 there was an additional allowance of sick days for workers who got covid 19 that was on top of regular statutory sick days.
Can you please provide summarized covid sick days data by month (or fortnightly pay period) of Covid sick leave for all Auckland Council staff?
eg one row would be "Nov 2021, 55 covid sick days taken"
The timeframe for this information on covid sick days is from the start of 6 April 2020 to end of 15 August 2023. This is the timeframe that the Covid sick day allowance was in place according to the IRD.
Yours faithfully,
Erika Whittome
From: Official Information
Auckland Council
Kia ora Erika
Thank you for your request for information
We have attached an information sheet on our processes and requirements
under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
We will respond to your request as soon as possible and in any event no
later than 20 working days after the day your request was received. This
will be by 06.03.2026
If you have further questions please feel free to contact Amanda
Pillay via reply email to [1][Auckland Council request email]
quoting reference 8140018419
Ngā mihi,
The Privacy and LGOIMA team
Auckland Council
From: Erika Whittome <[FYI request #33636 email]>
Sent: Thursday, 5 February 2026 6:11 am
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Covid sick days for Council
Workers 2020-2023
Dear Auckland Council,
In 2020-2023 there was an additional allowance of sick days for workers
who got covid 19 that was on top of regular statutory sick days.
Can you please provide summarized covid sick days data by month (or
fortnightly pay period) of Covid sick leave for all Auckland Council
staff?
eg one row would be "Nov 2021, 55 covid sick days taken"
The timeframe for this information on covid sick days is from the start of
6 April 2020 to end of 15 August 2023. This is the timeframe that the
Covid sick day allowance was in place according to the IRD.
Yours faithfully,
Erika Whittome
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Auckland Council
Kia ora Erika
Please find attached a response to your requests for information.
If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us
again.
You have the right to complain to the Ombudsman if you believe we have not
responded appropriately to your request. Information about how to make a
complaint is available at [1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800
802 602.
Ngā mihi | Kind regards,
The Privacy & LGOIMA team
Auckland Council
[2]Remember Tamariki 16 years and under swim free at Auckland Council
Pools.
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References
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1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
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Auckland Council
Kia ora Erika
Please find attached a response to your requests for information.
If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us
again.
You have the right to complain to the Ombudsman if you believe we have not
responded appropriately to your request. Information about how to make a
complaint is available at [1]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800
802 602.
Ngā mihi | Kind regards,
The Privacy & LGOIMA team
Auckland Council
[2]Remember Tamariki 16 years and under swim free at Auckland Council
Pools.
CAUTION: This email message and any attachments contain information that
may be confidential and may be LEGALLY PRIVILEGED. If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this message or
attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email
message in error please notify us immediately and erase all copies of the
message and attachments. We do not accept responsibility for any viruses
or similar carried with our email, or any effects our email may have on
the recipient computer system or network. Any views expressed in this
email may be those of the individual sender and may not necessarily
reflect the views of Council.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/
2. https://aucklandleisure.co.nz/free-swimm...
From: Erika Whittome
Dear Auckland Council,
Thanks for the update. You said 238 staff took Covid sick days in your response.
However you have not provided the requested information on the number of sick days taken.
You have given this rrason “ that the document alleged to contain the information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to locate it, cannot be found:”
Payroll and payslips store sick leave information so it does indeed exist in the payroll system because payroll data is not deleted from 2021/2022 etc. Kindly share the requested information under the Act.
The fact that you have been able to identify the total staff who took Covid sick leave means that the data is indeed there. Could you please check again? I am happy to receive a data export in CSV format as well of this summarized data by pay period .
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
From: Official Information
Auckland Council
Kia ora Erika
Thank you for your email.
The 238 number refers to claims for leave support payments, not sick days
taken. This is not exhaustive list of all sick leave taken for Covid, it
only reflects cases where a claim was made to IRD. As such, information
about these claims is not available on payroll records.
Ngā mihi,
Amanda
The Privacy & LGOIMA team
Auckland Council
From: Erika Whittome <[FOI #33636 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 24 February 2026 5:28 am
To: Official Information <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Final response - 8140018361 and 8140018419 - COVID
vaccination records and pandemic sick days
Dear Auckland Council,
Thanks for the update. You said 238 staff took Covid sick days in your
response.
However you have not provided the requested information on the number of
sick days taken.
You have given this rrason “ that the document alleged to contain the
information requested does not exist or, despite reasonable efforts to
locate it, cannot be found:”
Payroll and payslips store sick leave information so it does indeed exist
in the payroll system because payroll data is not deleted from 2021/2022
etc. Kindly share the requested information under the Act.
The fact that you have been able to identify the total staff who took
Covid sick leave means that the data is indeed there. Could you please
check again? I am happy to receive a data export in CSV format as well of
this summarized data by pay period .
Yours sincerely,
Erika Whittome
show quoted sections
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