COVID-19 business assistance

As the central resource for the government’s COVID-19 business information, you’ll find information and guidance to help you as a business about:

• COVID-19 Protection Framework
• Omicron
• financial support for businesses
• My Vaccine Passes
• face covering requirements for staff and customers
• record keeping and contact tracing
• mental health and wellbeing support.

Business.govt.nz is free to use by any member of the public. The content is designed with New Zealand small businesses front of mind. 

A government loan over a term of 5 years for small to medium businesses affected by COVID-19.  The loan is interest free for the first 2 years.

Businesses set up after 1 April 2020. They need to have been in business for at least 6 months before applying, and to meet other eligibility criteria.

Businesses will be entitled to a loan of $20,000, plus $1,800 per full-time employee, up to a maximum of $110,000. The base loan amount increased to $20,000 (from $10,000) on 21 March 2022. Existing borrowers can apply for a top-up loan of $10,000.

Helping businesses keep paying eligible workers who:

• cannot work from home, and
• need to miss work to stay home while waiting for a COVID-19 test (in line with public health guidance).

Businesses and self-employed workers. You can’t get this payment if you’re already getting a Leave Support Scheme payment for your employee. There are also other eligibility criteria, which are outlined on the Work and Income website.

A one-off payment of $359 for each eligible worker.

Supporting businesses whose workers have been told to self-isolate and can't work from home.

Employers, including self-employed people, so they can pay employees who have been told to self-isolate because they meet certain health criteria and who can't work from home. You can’t get this payment if you’re already getting a Short-term Absence Payment for this employee. There’s more eligibility criteria on the Work and Income website.

Payments of $600 for people working 20 hours or more a week, or $359 for people working less than 20 hours per week.

To qualify for a one-week payment of Leave Support Scheme an employee will have been advised to self-isolate for at least four consecutive days (which may include a day when the employee is not scheduled to work or is on leave, or a public holiday).

If an employee needs to keep self-isolating for at least 11 calendar days or more and can’t work from home, you can apply for a second week payment of the Leave Support Scheme.

Third and subsequent Leave Support payments can be applied for every further seven days of self-isolation.

Among the Ministry’s suite of initiatives in the programme – the following supports have been extended in response to recent restrictions:

• Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme
• Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund – Organisations
• Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund Grant for Self Employed Individuals

These initiatives are designed to provide emergency support to those in the sector who have lost income or opportunities due to the recent Delta and Omicron outbreaks.

The Ministry’s programme of support is targeted toward those in the arts and culture sector who are seeking short-term and long-term support. This includes event organisers, creative groups and organisations, and individual artists and sector workers.

There are a range of short-term and long-term initiatives that organisations and individuals in the sector may be able to access.

 For the above-mentioned supports, those who are eligible for the:

• Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme can get up to $300,000 per eligible event
• Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund - Organisations can get up to $300,000
• Cultural Sector Emergency Relief Fund - Grant for Self-Employed Individuals can get a one-off $5,000 payment.

All invoices due to be sent in 2020 had a three-month grace period which resulted in CoverPlus Extra invoices being issued from July 2020 and all other invoices from October 2020.

Businesses that pay an ACC levy.

• Delayed invoicing
• Payment plans
• To let us know if you’re no longer in business
• How ACC levies work with the government wage subsidy