New Zealand is currently at Alert Level 3: Restrict

These new alert levels specify that public health and social measures are to be taken

Alternative ways of working required and some non-essential businesses should close. 

  • Travel  in areas with clusters or community transmission limited
  • Affected educational facilities closed
  • Mass gatherings canceled
  • Public venues closed (e.g. libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, amusement parks)
  • Non face-to-face primary care consultations
  • Non acute (elective) services and procedures in hospitals deferred and healthcare staff reprioritised

For latest NZ updates, please refer to the below links

The measures put in place presently are designed to limit social contact and to keep businesses and the economy as functional as possible during this time. Self storage is well placed in this regard given the ability to operate with minimal person-to-person contact. Looking at further stage measures other countries have taken, it is likely that logistics and supply chain businesses will remain operational.

SSAA believe there is a sound argument for self storage to be considered an essential service as part of the logistics and supply chain management industry, but this will likely be determined by the express wording of any further restrictions announced. The SSAA is hopeful that we can rely on the fact that self-storage is a service offering, does not have to operate a retail shopfront and can operate with limited social contact (or for some operators, none at all).

Other than the government-issued employer and health advice, we recommend to members they: 

  • Prepare a plan to operate their facility remotely, including making any necessary security and/or technology arrangements
  • Prepare a plan to communicate with customers remotely (i.e. if the manager cannot be onsite, do they have remote access to customer lists, email program, software, etc)
  • Prepare a plan for resumption of business, thinking about offering payment plans and/or rental relief, arrears management, customer communications, and reputation management.

Further advice will be issued as it comes to hand