On Sunday, the Government announced it was making it compulsory for people to sign in when entering most events and businesses at all alert levels.
Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins said it would enable fast contact tracing to take place.
Mr Hipkins said the obligation would be on the person responsible for the place or gathering to ensure people scanned in.
Businesses included were cafes, restaurants, bars, casinos and concerts, aged care and healthcare facilities, barbers, exercise facilities, nightclubs, libraries and government agencies.
Sarah Hussey, who owns three Dunedin cafes, received an email from the Restaurant Association which said businesses did not have to enforce visitors scanning in under the new rules.
Mrs Hussey believed if that was the case, it would not change much from what they had been doing previously but they would be putting more QR codes up to make it easier for visitors.
Penelope Johnson, co-owner of Arrowtown’s La Rumbla and Slow Cuts, said anything that prevented any more lockdowns was a good thing.
Mrs Johnson believed it was the right thing to do and she would be looking to make sure QR codes were readily available at each table, she said.
Dunedin’s Potpourri Vegetarian Cafe owner Hilary Procter said though it could be hard to police, owners would have to make it easier for visitors to scan in.
She also was thinking of putting QR codes on tables.
"It is about making it easy for them to do it."
Brent Weatherall Jeweller owner Brent Weatherall, of Dunedin, did not think retail businesses were a part of the Government’s announcement, but was happy to abide by the ruling.
"I do think it could be a little hard to police it in a retail store," he said.
Compulsory record-keeping and scanning in would come into effect seven days after an alert level change, to give businesses that were reopening time to prepare.
— Additional reporting RNZ
