MMA Studio breaches vax mandate

Worksafe has given a Taranaki fitness studio a warning for not complying with the vaccine mandate.

But New Plymouth MMA Studio claimed a Worksafe inspection in December had given the gym the green light to operate without vaccine passes at all alert levels.

‘‘We are pleased to confirm that our operation has been deemed compliant, operating with the existing controls we have in place, without mandating passports, at all alert levels,’’ a post from December said.

An image uploaded to the gym’s Facebook page on January 23 has an image saying ‘No vaccine required’, while the country is in the red traffic light setting.

However, Simon Humphries, head of general inspectorate for Worksafe, said under the Covid-19 framework legislation the business meets the definition of a gym.

Entry to gyms during the red light, which the country moved to at 11.59pm on Sunday, requires a vaccine pass and numbers are limited to under 100 people.

Gyms that opt out of the vaccine pass scheme cannot open.

‘‘Our inspectorate is working with this business under our ‘educate first’ model to help them understand their requirements and remains optimistic they will comply with the rules,’’ Humphries said.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the gym said it would still be operating with classes limited to 25 people.

Under the red light, gatherings at events such as weddings or church services are limited to 25 people if vaccine passes are not be used.

Worksafe has only issued infringement notices to one business falling under the ‘gym’ category – Auckland gym Oliver MMA.

The gym has been issued three infringement notices, for allowing unvaccinated staff to carry out work when required to be vaccinated, and for not having effective systems and processes to check My Vaccine passes.

Each infringement notice carries a fee of $12,000.