408 Visa for COVID-19 FAQ

Primary industries, including food and beverage production and processing 

• Any entity involved in the packaging, production and processing of food and beverage products, whether for domestic consumption or export.
• Any entity involved in relevant support services, such as food safety and verification, inspection or associated laboratory services, food safety and biosecurity functions.
• Any entity providing veterinary services.
  Any entity whose closure would jeopardise the maintenance of animal health or welfare standards (including the short-term survival of a species).

Public safety and national security 

• The Department of Corrections, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Police, New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, Government Communications Security Bureau, and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
• Courts of New Zealand.
• Any person employed or contracted in a public safety or national security role.

Science 

• Any entity (including research organisations) involved in COVID-19 response.
• Any entity (including research organisations) involved in hazard monitoring and resilience.
• Any entity (including research organisations) involved in diagnostics for essential services like biosecurity or public health.
• Laboratories and Physical Containment level 3 (PC3) facilities that could provide essential services and products that could be used to respond to COVID-19.
• Other significant research facilities including animal facilities, clinical trials and infrastructure that requires constant attention (eg samples, collections and storage facilities) that are important to New Zealand.

Social services 

• Those entities, including non-government organisations, that provide welfare and social services to meet immediate needs, in the following categories:
  • Where the service is the only way for people to access food and other goods they need to live day-to-day.
  • A social service that provides and supports a place for someone to live.
  • A social service that supports disabled people to maintain critical well-being.
  • Crisis support for people who are unsafe.

Transport and logistics 

• Any small passenger service vehicle driver (who holds the relevant licence) such as ride-share or taxi drivers.
• Any entity providing services to keep vehicles operational for essential work purposes (eg vehicle testing, mechanics, tyre services).
• Ministry of Transport, New Zealand Customs, New Zealand Transport Agency, Civil Aviation Authority (including Aviation Security Service), Maritime New Zealand (including the Rescue Coordination Centre), Airways NZ, MetService, KiwiRail (including Interislander), and any entity which is contracted by these entities.
• Any entity that provides, or is contracted to an entity that provides, logistics services, including New Zealand Post and courier services.
• Any entity providing, or that is contracted by an entity that provides, transport services to the Ministry of Health, a District Health Board, a Medical Officer of Health, or a Controller (as defined in section 4 of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Act 2002).
• Any entity which provides services related to the maintenance and ongoing operation of critical infrastructure (eg roads, rail, ports, airports).
• Any entity which operates or is contracted by an entity listed in Schedule 1 of the Civil Defence and Emergency Management Act 2002, an aerodrome, a passenger and/or freight aviation service, a passenger and/or freight shipping service, a road freight service, a rail freight service, a vehicle recovery service; or a public transport service (under contract with a Regional Council).
• The delivery of solid fuels (including firewood, pellets and coal) for immediate needs (eg home heating) or fulfilling existing orders is an essential service.

Utilities and communications, including supply chains 

• Any entity involved in the production, supply, sale distribution or disposal of electricity, gas, water, wastewater (eg sanitation), waste (eg rubbish collection and recycling), liquid and solid fuel, telecommunication services, and any entity that is contracted by these entities.
• The delivery of solid fuels (including firewood, pellets and coal) for immediate needs (eg home heating) or fulfilling existing orders, is an essential service.
• Disposal of waste, including recycling, is an essential service and may continue to operate during Alert level 4.  Individual operators have responsibilities to appropriately meet the health, safety, and security requirements of their staff and customers, and should not operate if they feel they cannot do so.
• News (including news production) and broadcast media is considered essential. Daily delivery of newspapers is considered essential. Non-daily newspapers for communities that are hard to reach due to physical location and with limited access to digital connectivity, or for non-English language material audiences are considered essential. Non-broadcast news organisations are encouraged to deliver services online wherever possible. Magazines do not provide critical up-to date news information. The physical production, delivery and retail distribution of magazines is not considered an essential service. Magazines are encouraged to deliver services online wherever possible.
• Security and cleaning of GLAM institutions: All galleries, libraries, archives and museums will remain closed to the public. Essential security and maintenance is permitted.
• Security is considered an essential service, even if security services are being provided in relation to a premise for a non-essential service.
• Internet service providers.
• Any entity that provides maintenance and repair services for utilities and communications, including supply chains.
• Any entity supplying services to essential workplaces that are required for the safe operation of that workplace (eg cleaning, security services).
• Commercial cleaners that clean common areas of apartment buildings may also continue to operate, where there is high-traffic (eg lifts, stairwells).

Related: Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Event (PCER) 408 Visa