The Defence Force says vaccination could be required to take part in some military exercises. (File photo)
The Defence Force is going to consider discharging members who have not had Covid-19 vaccinations, but won’t act on its decisions until the outcome of the latest court challenge.
Four Defence Force members, whose names are suppressed, have taken action against the Chief of Defence and the Defence Force chief people officer.
The case was taken to stop anyone being discharged for not having primary or booster Covid-19 vaccinations.
An earlier Defence Force vaccination order was overturned in the High Court in February, which would have affected 15 unvaccinated defence staff from a total of more than 15,000 members.
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Stuff
Roxie Mohebbi leads a discussion about the Covid-19 vaccine with immunologist Dr Maia Brewerton and general practitioner Dr Api Talemaitoga as part of Stuff’s Whole Truth project.
Since then another order has been imposed to meet “individual readiness” requirements.
The four went to the High Court in Wellington on Tuesday to ask a judge to stop anyone without a primary or booster vaccination being discharged until a full hearing of the case, planned for September.
After two hours of submissions the lawyers reached an agreement without Justice Rebecca Ellis having to make a decision.
Crown lawyer Rebecca Thornley said the Chief of Defence Force agreed not to discharge any unvaccinated member until two weeks after the decision had been delivered.
NZ Defence Force/Twitter
The latest Defence Force Covid-19 vaccine mandate is being challenged in the High Court. (File photo)
Having a set of vaccinations was a requirement of joining the military, and the Covid-19 vaccination was part of that, along with meeting standards including physical fitness.
But the lawyer for the military personnel, Matthew Hague, said there was a difference between having a vaccine to enter an organisation and imposing it on people who had been in the Defence Force for 20 or 30 years.
They didn’t sign up for a Covid-19 vaccine and their service was worth protecting, Hague said.
Monique Ford/Stuff
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short agreed to hold off discharging the unvaccinated in the meantime. (File photo)
He said it was not a case against the vaccine but it did challenge whether limitations to human rights were justified.
Thornley agreed that the medical evidence seemed to be in the current circumstances the vaccine was effective in stopping serious illness but not transmission.
Taking part in certain military exercises could require vaccination, she said.
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