Back in 2023, the NZ Chief Ombudsman, sharply criticising an overall lack of transparency, admonished councils to open their ‘workshops’ as standard practice.
He said at the time: “I’ve made it very clear that final decisions and resolutions cannot lawfully be made outside the context of a properly constituted council meeting … These meeting requirements can’t be avoided simply by calling what is really a meeting a workshop.”
He notes: “Another reason put forward by councils for closing workshops was to provide elected members a ‘safe space’ to ask ‘silly questions’ out of the public eye. I do not accept this argument. Councillors are elected to public office, a position that demands accountability. They should be prepared for a level of scrutiny and even reasonable criticism from those they represent.”
HB’s councils have been reasonably responsive to this directive.
However, it appears that the new Napier Mayor and his Council have misplaced the Ombudsman’s report.
Here’s a chart indicating NCC’s meeting schedule for February.
Count the number of closed workshops … on key matters like water quality regulation, HB water services, trade waste, events, economic development and tourism, and the Annual Plan.
Is this really the way Napier ratepayers want their public business conducted?
Back to the future! The council shows that they have no faith in their electorate – I’m not in Napier (thank heavens!) but during the amalgamation debate/vote I checked Napier’s operations before deciding on my option – Napier had a lot of secrecy about many things – as indicated by the sudden appearance since of the deferred maintenance now causing angst among their ratepayers – it was obvious reading the council’s books (but who does that among the ratepayers?). Closed sessions are again indicative of something to hide???
Grant, you state that NCC have no faith in their electorate by holding closed to public ‘workshops’; probably true, what it show me though is that they don’t have faith in their own ability and processes. Very sad.
Back in the early 1980s, Naper City Council meetings were attended by reporters from at least three media outlets, The Daily Telegraph, HB Herald Tribune and Radio NZ’s local office. The-then public benefitted from multiple, competitive coverage.
Back then, so-called “closed door” council gatherings, neither at NCC nor at HBRC, were unthinkable and would have drawn strident editorial condemnation.
Nearly half a century later, New Zealand’s media has imploded.
If HB’s three “fourth estate” teams were still intact and vibrant, a current NCC would not even dare to post: “Council Workshop — Closed to Public”.
As long as New Zealand continues to ignore the need for substantial, publicly constituted funding to uphold a vibrant, hopefully independent media, then it cannot be surprised by a council tempted to behave secretly. One set of conditions — dismal media funding — predicates another, political misbehaviour.
Kirsten Wise ran an open to public council meeting; also available on zoom, it seemed an open & transparent council that I appreciated.
Its disappointing if that is no longer; as Grant said, whats to hide? .