West Coast councils defend use of closed-door workshops
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
A fresh call by the Ombudsman for council workshops to be open to the public by default has received a cautionary response on the West Coast.
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier made the demand following his investigation into the way some councils have excluded the public from meetings.
None of the West Coast's four local authorities were formally scrutinized by the review.
The investigation followed complaints about councils "undermining local democracy" by holding secret meetings.
Boshier dismissed some of the reasons councils gave for closed-door meetings -- including being able to ask "silly questions".
West Coast Regional Council risk and assurance chairperson Frank Dooley said there was "no such thing as a silly question" and it should not be "an excuse" for closing the door to public scrutiny.
Everyone had "a right to understand" council business, but workshops were useful to inform elected members for later formal decision making, he said.
"It's getting your ducks in a row," Dooley said.
However, the council had conducted seven closed door workshops on the council's next 10-year long-term plan alone this year. Some of those workshops lasted several hours.
"I don't think there is anything to be gained by having those workshops in the public forum because we've got to debate where we go [later] from a strategic point of view," Dooley said.
Although, he said there was "greater scope for communication" around the purpose of the workshops.
The Westland District Council's use of workshops has been contentious at times, since the local body elections in October 2022.
Westland mayor Helen Lash said she had been upfront about the need for them, while acknowledging council discourse should primarily be in public.
A closed meeting invariably fuelled poor perception, but it was not necessarily a case of "hiding anything," Lash said.
"I have not doubt there have been workshops around the country held to hide information. It's something I despise from my previous tenure at council."
But the new Westland council had required a high level of briefings after the local election.
Closed workshops had been mainly on the commitments made by the council's predecessor, and to guide new councillors in their governance role, she said.
"Primarily, workshops were to develop the skills of the new council."
Lash said they had been deliberately called "workshops" instead of "training days" because they provided context for future decisions on urgent issues, including a "state of play" on the district's assets.
At the same time, workshops helped avoid "quick, rash decisions" by council only based on a summary report or sketchy information provided just days before, she said.
"If you don't understand the detail behind it, to me it's irresponsible in making decisions."
Dooley said it was sometimes necessary to brief councillors informally, such as with the 2022-23 annual report.
"I think it's really important for councillors to go through the annual report and understand and ask questions on it before putting it into the public [domain].
"Some of the other workshops we've had have been really technical."
These included expert briefings on the Westport flood resilience scheme and the 10-year Waiho River Management Strategy.
The later briefing was prior to the public presentation to the Franz Josef community a fortnight ago.
This ensured "everyone understood" what was coming in order to respond to constituents, he said.
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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