22 October 2021
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Communications regarding Ngongotaha wastewater overflow
Enquiry
Could the council please provide an attributable answer on the following?
- Why did the council not circulate media releases regarding the wastewater spill at Ngongotahā (on Monday) and the geothermal activity at Kuirau Park (October 9)?
- Which channels did the council use in those cases? Please list all of them specifically.
- Is it a specific policy to not circulate media releases on matters of public health and safety? Was it a decision or an oversight? If a decision, why?
- Does the council believe it is reaching the maximum number of people in the district when it posts to its website and social media?
I am after this by 2pm today please.
Subsequent from reporter:
I have some comments to supply for right of reply. Let me know if the council would like to respond to these comments - if so, the deadline is 10am Tuesday October 26.
Thanks very much
Felix
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COMMENTS
Massey University journalism and public relations expert Dr Cathy Strong said failing to circulate a media release on the public health and safety issues sounded "amateurish" and "peculiar".
She said doing so was "as bad as only doing print [media] and not social media".
"You have to use all available channels, this is public health and safety."
She said it was reasonable for some things to only go on social media but not in media releases, but anything that impacted ratepayers significantly should be amplified as much as possible.
"The public may not be on social media and who goes to [a council website] unless you know what you're looking for?
"They are completely ignoring some of their own ratepayers and residents."
Response
From Rotorua Lakes Council Communications Manager Ingrid Tiriana:
Methods of communication are considered in all public messaging and the immediacy of online channels make those channels more effective when we want to inform our community, including local media, of something as quickly as possible.
Communications via Council’s website and social media pages are easily accessible to the public, other community channels and the media, and can immediately be shared further afield, increasing the reach of messaging quickly. We know local media keep an eye on these council channels as they routinely, as with both the bore and wastewater issues, replicate what’s communicated on their own channels and follow up if/as needed.
Council and its contractors also communicate and engage directly with affected parties, key stakeholders and other authorities as required and where public health and safety is involved, signage and/or fencing are put up to reduce public risk.
A media release is just one of many communication methods but does not guarantee coverage and is no longer used as frequently as in the past, given the ability via online channels to immediately share information publicly (and/or target specific parts of our community) and to update it as often as necessary.
Re Channels used re Kuirau Park bore: Information was provided on council’s Facebook and Instagram pages and provided to media as requested.
Re channels used re wastewater issue – see below:
Tuesday 19 October 2021
7am – signage in place on site of wastewater overflow.
10am – update provided Te Arawa Lakes Trust and hapū
10.20am – Health Warning published on Rotorua Lakes Council website
10.27am – Health Warning published on Rotorua Lakes Council Facebook page
5pm – Health warning update published on Rotorua Lakes Council website
5.10pm – Health warning update published on Rotorua Lakes Council Facebook page
Wednesday 20 October 2021
4pm - Health warning update published on Rotorua Lakes Council website
4.23pm - Health warning update published on Rotorua Lakes Council Facebook page
Re subsequent offer of ‘right of reply’: Reporter was informed we had nothing further to add to the response provided earlier
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: COVID framework
Enquiry
Reporter sought comment from the Mayor on the Government’s new COVID Protection Framework that was announced today.
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
The clear message is that vaccination is the way out of the current situation with the new system reliant on high vaccination rates across the country.
We need to get our vaccination rates up – and quickly – so we can move to the new system to provide some certainty for our businesses and to protect our community, especially those who are particularly vulnerable.
We owe it to all of New Zealand to play our part and Rotorua has a way to go to get to 90 per cent so it’s good to also see some funding allocated to initiatives to help get vaccination rates up.
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: RLC organisational realignment
Enquiry
Reporter sought clarification to response provided yesterday to follow-up enquiry re organisational realignment:
I asked previously:
Do the ‘outcome areas and final functional groupings’ act as job descriptions? If not, do the deputy chief executive positions have job/position descriptions yet? If so, can I please have them – if not, will they and when?
Job descriptions are not yet finalised.
As you can see I asked if the final functional groupings and outcome areas do not act as job descriptions, are the job descriptions complete. As the council answered that they are not, the inference is that final functional groupings and outcome areas do not act as job descriptions.
Obviously, we're not acting on inference here though - so can you please clarify that - do final functional groupings and outcome areas act as job descriptions?
Understand you have somewhat indicated they do in the below but I want to be crystal clear as these appear at this stage to conflict.
Response
We clarified as follows:
No the final functional groupings documents are not the job descriptions but as previously explained, they will provide the basis for the job descriptions. The specifics re outcomes and functions the DCEs are responsible for and how success will be measured (KPIs) have been established through the realignment process (outlined for each DCE area in the final functional groupings documents that are Attachment 13 of the pack you received in response to your September LGOIMA request).
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times)
Topic: Council meetings at Alert Level 2
Enquiry
*NOTE: this enquiry was sent to all councils within the Daily Post/BOP Times coverage area
I’d like to find out from each of you whether your respective elected members have returned to meetings in chambers under level 2. I appreciate I'm already aware of some answers from some of you.
Can you please tell us:
- If so, when was the first meeting and why was this?
- Also, if you are doing anything more than social distancing and limiting room capacity, please elaborate. (Are councillors having to still wear masks once seated?)
- If so, are these meetings open to the public and/or media to attend if they want to (under L2 social distancing, mask rules)?
- If not, why not? And how are meetings being made available for the public?
- What importance is being placed on returning to physical, face to face meetings and why?
-Are you livestreaming your council meetings and if not, why not? If not, are they being recorded and later loaded online
Response
From Oonagh Hopkins, DCE District Leadership and Democracy:
Committee and Council meetings reverted to being held in the Council Chambers when we moved back to Alert Level 2 (11.59pm Tuesday 7 September) but with the option for elected members to Zoom in if they wished or needed to.
The meetings are conducted with social distancing in place but those in attendance do not have to wear masks once seated.
Livestreaming of our committee and Council meetings was introduced in 2015 and this has continued throughout with meetings held via Zoom during alert levels 3 and 4 also livestreamed.
Recordings of the meetings are made available afterwards on Council’s You Tube channel HERE. The public can still access meetings as they happen via livestream, or access the recordings of the meetings later, both via Council’s YouTube channel.
Since the presence of COVID-19 cases in the community outside of Auckland, meetings have been closed to public attendance. As above, the public can access meetings via livestreaming and/or via the recordings of the livestream that are made available after the meetings, as well as via news items on Council’s website relating to decisions made.