20 May 2022
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Elected member forums
Enquiry
These comments are not specifically about RLC but just want to check if the council/mayor want to respond to these further comments - if so please send through any comments for right of reply by 1pm today.
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COMMENTS
Kāpiti Coast district councillor Gwynn Compton said closed-door forums “undermined trust in the institution of local government”.
“You need to see the sausage being made.”
He said discussions and deliberations that whittled down options were “part of democracy” and often resulted in only one option being presented in public.
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Massey University communications research associate Dr Catherine Strong said there was “little reason” to keep local government discussions “secret” and, in her view, closed-door meetings were “against the spirit” of transparency.
“Residents want to know how a decision is made, not just what the decision is when it is announced dryly at an open meeting.”
She said the public was left to “speculate” about important decisions, often on social media where misinformation may go unchecked.
In her opinion: “That is councils’ fault for not being open.”
Response
From Rotorua Mayor, Steve Chadwick:
Discussions around this [reserves] proposal have taken place in an open committee meeting and will continue at our open Council meeting next week. Decisions will be made in public and residents are welcome to attend these meetings to hear the debate and learn about the process.