Page 58 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2020

Associations
News updates from the printing industry
Print proving point in NZ Covid crisis
PrintNZ CEO Ruth Cobb says Covid continues to cause confusion and concern, but proves print has an important role to play.
Just when we thought we had it beaten,
and confidence levels had started to climb, the long arm of Covid came back and let New Zealand know that it hadn’t finished with us. While we had relaxed to the point of living and working at almost pre-Covid levels, it didn’t take long for the brakes to be put on, as our alert levels were dropped back, and everyone was reminded of how cautious we need to be.
Like Australia, and with much sympathy for our friends in Victoria, New Zealand has now experienced the difficulty of having parts of the country operating at different Covid alert levels. On 12 August, with very short notice, Auckland was pushed back into Level
3 lockdown following the
first cases of community transmission in 104 days. At the same time to be cautious, the rest of New Zealand moved to Level 2.
This move brought with
it the new complication of dealing with borders other than those at the airport or ports. Getting in and out of Auckland, particularly from the south, became a lesson in patience and frustration, as cars had to queue for hours to get to the checkpoint, often then having to turn around if they didn’t have the correct paperwork.
The process of issuing exemptions was vexing,
and seemed to have little common sense applied to it.
All exemptions granted under the first lockdown were wiped and everyone was required to apply again, resulting in people being stranded on both sides
of the border, creating much frustration for both workers and businesses alike. With only around 20 per cent of applications processed by the time the borders were opened again some 14 days later, it was
Power of print: Ruth Cobb, CEO, PrintNZ
Covid-19 related printing is everywhere – check-in QR codes, safety messages, footpath signs, newspaper advertisements, billboards, pamphlets and more.
nothing short of poor. Within Auckland the
requirement to ramp up safety/hygiene practices to Level 3 standards was quickly implemented, and our industry was able to continue to operate. Having had our Level 3 industry safety protocols signed off
by the CEO of Worksafe, and widely circulated during the last lockdown, meant the businesses were ready to go with some having kept them in place, despite dropping down alert levels.
While functionally we were more prepared, lockdown second time around has not been as easy for many to cope with,
and we have been aware of an increased effect on the mental health of the workers in our industry – something which we all need to be mindful of. Many people’s situations had changed between the two lockdowns,
and with additional pressures both financially and emotionally, the pressure of Lockdown 2.0 is being felt. It is important that we listen to people’s concerns and treat them with respect, and the team at PrintNZ is here to do just that if you need to reach out at all.
Alongside this there has been a further loss of confidence, and it is unlikely we will see
the surge in spending that followed the completion of the first lockdown. We had seen a steady climb of work levels with the PrintNZ survey, indicating average work levels having moved from just 28 per cent
in April to 76 per cent by the end of July – an encouraging outcome – but when we measure see the figures for August and September it will show just what this latest lockdown has meant.
But throughout the restrictions I continue to see evidence of the role that print has to play. Covid-19 related printing is everywhere – check- in QR codes, safety messages, footpath signs, newspaper advertisements, billboards, pamphlets and more. Even the online app is paired with print, to provide maximum effectiveness with the government now providing printed booklets that you can use to keep track of your movements if you don’t have a smart phone.
Reinforcing yet again the power of print. Stay well, stay safe and stay printing. 21
58 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020