Kiwi printers prepared for longer lockdown

Much of the commercial print industry in Auckland and the rest of New Zealand remains idle, with Level 4 lockdown extended again until at least next Tuesday in the country's biggest city, with the rest of the country in Level 4 until the end of the week. However, printers are better prepared now than last time around.

The Kiwi commercial print industry had to largely close last Tuesday as the government put the country in Level Four over one case. Escalating virus case numbers have sent the country into the extended hard lockdown, and with those figures still rising, the chances of an early end to Level 4 are falling.

Only print that is servicing the essential services supply chain can be produced, along with Covid-related print, and some news publications. Printers are increasingly nervous about the prospect of a long lockdown.

However, Fred Soar, president of PrintNZ and CEO of Soar Print, believes that the industry is better prepared for the lockdown this time around.

"When we went into lockdown last time we weren't certain what was going to happen, but now we know the drill," he said. "I imagine most people in the industry have applied for the subsidies available from the government, and that some companies may have already included pandemic clauses in various contracts."

Soar invites members to get in touch with PrintNZ for advice, or simply to stay connected, and if required, to talk to their vendors, landlord and/or machinery/equipment suppliers.

"The encouraging thing is we've seen how quickly business can bounce back afterwards – it's amazing how resilient the economy has been on the back of strong exports," he added.

Print businesses locked down for seven days are able to trigger the Wage Subsidy Scheme, which supports eligible employers who experience a revenue loss of more than 40 per cent. The payment has been increased to $600 for a full-time employee and $359 for a part time employee. This would be paid in a two-week lump sum.

The Resurgence Support Payment through the IRD is also in play, which applies to a 30 per cent loss of revenue, and is up to $1500, plus $400 per employee up to a maximum of 50 employees.
The New Zealand Covid Level 4 response has closed down business after 15 months of virtually normal living. Vaccine roll-out though is slow – New Zealand is the second worst performer of all the OECD countries.

Ruth Cobb, CEO of employers’ association PrintNZ said: “Under Level 4, printing is permitted for FMCG, and for Covid-related work, information and graphics, along with news media. But if you print that work, you can’t print other jobs once you have done that.”

PrintNZ advises that only businesses providing print to essential services, such as food and beverage packaging and healthcare, can continue to operate. It says "at this point, if you are unsure whether you provide an essential service, then you should probably close. If you are a part of the supply chain for essential services, then you are able to continue to operate."

The association says that if printers remain open they can only do the work that is part of the essential supply chain. It says they cannot undertake non-essential work while they are there, which may mean reduced hours.

Newspapers are still printing. In the last Level 4 lockdown PrintNZ lobbied hard for their continuation, particularly ethnic language and community papers. Under Level 4 children, that is anyone under 18, cannot be involved in distribution.

“Many community papers are switching to bulk distribution instead, dropping piles at service stations and the like", said Cobb.

The Kiwi lockdown is far stricter for business than those in Australian states, where printers are largely open for business, under Covid-safe protocols. The last time New Zealand was in Level Four 15 months ago, the country’s biggest magazine publisher Bauer Media closed the whole business, as it could not print any of its magazines. It was eventually bought by Webstar owner Mercury Capital.

PrintNZ has provided the following advice to its members who are printing in Level 4:

• Staff must be able to work 2 metres apart.
• You will need to have in place strict hygiene protocols and provide appropriate PPE for all workers. This will require additional wiping down of common touchpoints and surfaces.
• Avoid cross-contamination between shifts.
• Staff that are not required for production of essential services should stay home.
• Anyone that can, must work from home.
• Anyone that is sick should not come to work.
• All receiving and dispatching of product must be contactless.
• You should keep a register of everybody that visits your premises or have a way of ensuring that every person scans your QR code.
• You may want to consider splitting shifts and separating smoke areas so that staff don't overlap, providing you with a buffer if one of your staff should trigger a requirement for isolation.

• Ensure you display the appropriate posters reminding people to sign in, wash their hands, remain 2 metres apart, how to cough appropriately etc. You can download these posters by clicking here.