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Presidents' Message

3 May 2020

Hey Team,

Hope you are as well as you can be! Another week in and more updates, plus some reinforcement/repeating of messaging. We are still in alert level 3 and it's important to be adhering to guidelines and rules delivered by our government.

We have observed fluctuations in behaviours and communication, suggesting that many are filling their vacant time with social media and other unreliable information sources. Please be vigilant and seek out factual guidance, that pertains to our situation in our environment…New Zealand. Please also be very cautious around our own information sharing with others. Is it factual or our own opinion, as related to our own unique situation? Remember everyone is at a different place with understanding and acceptance of this major disruption to our lives. Be kind, be calm, be patient, and be aware of how we are contributing to any situation. Please direct people to the Government websites, for current known guidance: https://covid19.govt.nz/ and https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus.

Massage New Zealand (MNZ) does not have all the answers. The Government is working through their understandings and we are all trying to cope as best we can to help each other come out the other side alive, and able to resume some form of normality. Avoid emotional motivated conversation. Keeping kind, calm, patient, whilst applying practical sense and seeking out the facts, will help keep us all level and ready to adapt as new changes occur. Please contact us (MNZ) directly, for what we may already know, or what we may be able to find out for you: president@massagenewzealand.org.nz.

On Friday 1st May, MNZ executive committee members attended another Allied Health Aotearoa New Zealand (AHANZ)/Ministry of Health (MoH) meeting, with approximately 90 attendees. This time there was information and discussion around alert level 2 transition and considerations. It is sounding promising BUT we must remember these are early ideas, based on our situation right now. That could all change again in a week, and we will only know as we get closer to a decision to move into alert level 2. We are told May 11th is a decision delivery day. The decision may be that there is no decision, or that it will be delayed further. Be prepared with a fluid, adaptive response, as this date is by no means a definite answer. We were told that the Government would likely give a 48-hour notice of any change to alert levels. That means Thursday 14th May at best before being able to possibly start working again. Gut feeling and previous actions would suggest that if there is an alert level change, it is possibly more likely to occur the following week. BE PREPARED for the answer we are not expecting, remain fluid and adaptable! There's a chance we may even be restricted in what we CAN do, be prepared!

MNZ executive committee have been working away in the background on some guidelines to help our WHOLE profession. We are hoping to start releasing parts of this so that our members can start considering and preparing (sanitisers, signage, clinic set-up etc) for what work might look like if/when allowed to operate. These will help guide, with the expectation of it being the minimum that you consider applying. Each of us has a unique business environment so it needs to be tailored for our own situation. Equally, if massage therapists in NZ decide they are not prepared to re-engage at level 2 (should we get the go ahead), please can each group remain Calm, Kind and Patient in thoughts, actions, and speech. Everyone will do what they need to for their given situation and we need to look after each other. Please contact us directly if anyone has concerns and we can offer guidance, based on what we know at the time: president@massagenewzealand.org.nz

Please engage with each other in peer discussion. Remain open to other's ideas (even if 100% opposite), as it provides opportunity to stimulate our thought processes. There are so many ways to obtain a similar result. Let us help each other adapt and grow through this Covid-19 challenge. We are all on the same team and we all have unique skill sets and experience.

It is often difficult to predict the future and to see our forward path, so look back at where we have come from in the past 6 weeks. We have made it through some pretty big change and now some of us are getting bothered by stuff that is much smaller. Yes, it is still very important, but we have all been through worse. Keep up the great work, keep up the collaborating and support, keep moving one foot in front of another. Great things start with small steps forward. Everyone has come so far, let's keep this going! Massage therapists are great at caring for people so let's keep caring for self, family, friends, clients, massage colleagues, Allied Health colleagues, strangers and all that makes us tick.

Contact me as you need.

Clint Knox

MNZ President - president@massagenewzealand.org.nz