COVID-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP)
The Government has put in place the Resurgence Support Payment (RSP) – a payment to help support viable and ongoing businesses or organisations due to a COVID-19 alert level increase to level 2 or higher. If your business or organisation is facing a reduction in revenue due to an alert level increase, you may be eligible for the RSP.
Applications for the alert level increase announced on 17 August are now open.
What is the RSP?
Each time the COVID-19 alert level is increased from level 1, the Government may decide to activate the Resurgence Support Payment. It will generally be activated when the period of increased alert level is 7 days or longer, but this is not guaranteed. Once the RSP has been activated it will be available nationally, even if the alert level isn’t increased across the whole country.
How does the RSP apply?
A business or organisation must have experienced at least a 30% drop in revenue or a 30% decline in capital-raising ability over a 7-day period, due to the increased COVID-19 alert level.
Once activated any business in New Zealand that has experienced a 30% drop in revenue or capital raising ability over a 7 day period as a result of the alert level increase would be eligible (subject to all other criteria being met).
Further information on the IRD website here.
COVID-19 Wage Subsidy | August 2021
A reminder about the wage subsidy package. More here: https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/covid-19/wage-subsidy/index.html.
Key points:
• Application by a registered New Zealand organisation
• For persons legally employed by your organisation
• Show at least a 40% decline over the period between 17 August 2021 and 30 August 2021 inclusive (this is the revenue test period), compared to a typical 14-day consecutive period of revenue in the six weeks immediately before the move to Alert Level 4 on 17 August 2021
• Retain evidence of reduction in revenue
• AND, the main thing is before making an application, you must have taken active steps to mitigate the impact of the move to Alert Level 4 on 17 August 2021 on your business activities. This includes (but is not limited to) engaging with your bank, drawing on your cash reserves as appropriate, or making an insurance claim.
MORE INFO:
A reminder about Alert Level 4
- Only essential services are able to operate.
- All indoor venues and sporting facilities, including clubrooms and gyms, are closed.
- Organised sports and physical activity are not allowed outside of your bubble.
- You can train at home, or outdoor places in your local area. Maintain physical distancing with people outside your bubble.
- Contact activity or sharing equipment/balls with people outside your bubble is prohibited.
- All water-based activities are prohibited because these activities expose participants to danger or may require search and rescue services.
- At Alert Level 4 face coverings now must be worn by all people (employees and customers) at businesses and services that involve customer contact. More on the COVID-19 website here.
- To remind yourself of what happens at Alert Level 4, go to the COVID-19 website here.
Further reminders:
- The Government is asking everyone to wear a mask and keep a two metre distance whenever you leave your home.
- Practice good hygiene including hand washing.
- If you’re sick, call your doctor or Healthline on 09800 358 5453.
- Detail on the broader range of restrictions in place at Alert Level 4 can be accessed at the Unite Against COVID-19 web site.
- Guidance about what you can do in the workplace at COVID-19 alert levels can be obtained from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment here.
- We know we can’t operate basketball events at Alert Levels 3 and 4. At Alert Level 2, the 100 person limit is applied. More on what basketball looks like at Alert Level 2 on the NZ.basketball page here.
- If you have further questions about sports operations at alert levels, please first refer to Sport New Zealand’s Alert guidance here.
- More Sport NZ guidance on how to manage day to day activities and events as part of pandemic planning and operational management can be found here.
- Keeping scanning QR codes if you go out (such as to supermarkets).
- The Government’s COVID-19 website can be found here.
- All our COVID-19 Updates are available here.
