Council Meetings
Response
Sent: Tuesday, 30 June 2026 02:03pm
Subject: Official Information Request - Council Meetings
I refer to your Official Information request of 12 June 2026 for information regarding Council meetings.
Question:
Are there STILL secret meetings held between elected councillors and unelected members (iwi) of council, and are ALL elected members involved in that.
Answer:
The LGOIMA requires Councils to provide information held by Council, it is not required to form an opinion or provide an explanation(creating new information), however Council would like to provide you with the following response.
Council does not hold secret meetings between elected members and iwi representatives. Council does, however, engage with iwi, hapū, mana whenua, Te Tatau o Te Arawa representatives, community members, and other stakeholders through a range of formal and informal mechanisms. These include formal Council and committee meetings, working groups, workshops, briefings, hui, and project-specific engagement.
Some engagement occurs through formal committees, such as the Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee, which is part of Council’s governance structure.
The Te Arawa 2050 committee membership includes the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, all councillors, the Te Tatau o Te Arawa Chairperson, and four Te Tatau o Te Arawa Board members. The Committee’s role is recommendatory only. It does not have delegated authority to make decisions for and on behalf of Council. Any matters requiring a Council decision must be referred to Council for final consideration and determination.
Some engagement occurs through working groups or advisory groups, which may include elected members, iwi or mana whenua representatives, community members, and others.
For example, the Recovered Water Management Solution Working Group has been established to assist with consideration of long-term options for the management of Rotorua’s treated wastewater.
These groups may include elected members, iwi or mana whenua representatives, community representatives, technical experts, and Council staff. Their purpose is generally to provide advice, test options, support engagement, or make recommendations. They do not make final Council decisions unless expressly given delegated authority to do so.
Some engagement occurs through informal workshops, briefings, or hui.
Elected members may also attend workshops, briefings, or engagement hui with iwi and other stakeholders. These are a normal part of local government, especially given Council’s statutory obligations to provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to local authority decision-making processes.
Such workshops, briefings, or hui are not used to make final Council decisions. Formal decisions are made through Council or committee meetings in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements.
Final Council decisions are made through properly constituted Council or committee meetings, unless a lawful delegation provides otherwise.
All elected members are involved in some forums, such as the Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee, but not necessarily in every working group, briefing, workshop, or engagement hui.
To your request "are ALL elected members involved” the answer depends on the particular forum.
All elected members are involved in some forums, such as the Te Arawa 2050 Vision Committee, but not necessarily in every working group, briefing, workshop, or engagement hui.
For working groups, advisory groups, workshops, briefings, or project-specific engagement, not all elected members will necessarily be involved. Attendance or membership depends on the purpose of the group, the relevant terms of reference, the subject matter, and elected member availability.
Agendas and minutes can be found on Councils' website https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-council/meetings/agendas-and-minutes and Te Arawa 2050 Vision are included here.
Summaries of Recovered Water Working Group can be found on Councils' website https://www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/our-council/projects/recovered-water-project/working-group-project-information
Question:
How much is every individual committee member (or as a group) paid in reimbursement or wages as a one off or regular payment in compensation?
Answer:
The Remuneration Authority sets remuneration for members of local authorities and sets the rules for reimbursement of costs incurred by local government members while engaged on local authority business.
Remuneration for Mayors is set directly by the Remuneration Authority and is not included in the council governance remuneration pool.
The governance remuneration pool provides the total amount that must be paid in remuneration to Councillors in each individual Council.
Agenda of Council Meeting - Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Local Government Elected Members (2025/26) Amendment Determination 2026 | New Zealand Legislation
The Council decides a base remuneration for councillors who have no additional responsibilities. This could be higher than the minimum allowable remuneration set for that council by the Authority.
Remuneration for community board members is based partly on population size and is relative to the remuneration of its local government members.
Local government members may be entitled to receive allowances while working on local authority business. Current allowances include:
- Vehicle kilometre allowance
- Travel time allowance
- Exemptions for vehicle and travel allowances
- ICT allowance
- Childcare allowance
There is no payment for sitting at meetings or committees on top of the total renumeration given to elected members.
