5 May 2020
Media: RotoruaNow
Topic: Councillor meeting attendance
Enquiry
The council has held eight full council meetings since October's election, along with two Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee meetings and two Operations and Monitoring Committee meetings.
From a total of 12 council and council committee meetings councillor Kumar has missed four, including three full council meetings. He has also failed to formally apologise for three of those missed meetings.
Two other councillors have missed meetings since the election - Trevor Maxwell and Merepeka Raukawa-Tait - who have missed one meeting each and both formally apologised for their absence.
No other councillors, or the mayor, have missed any meetings.
At last week's council meeting Steve said this "...it's a shame councillor Kumar has not attended any workshops or our previous council meetings where these have been discussed, but we understand his service to the community."
Questions:
- Is our mayor concerned about the number of meetings Raj has missed this term? If so, why?
- Why are formal apologies for non-attendance important?
- Are there any rules/standing orders around how many meetings a councillor can miss before a councillor is formally warned or disciplined for non-attendance?
- How important is it for local democracy that councillors attend as many meetings as possible?
Response
From Mayor Chadwick:
We have had several very important meetings during level 4 and now into level 3, including Council meetings as well as an informal meeting of elected members and a workshop that provided crucial thinking and direction for the 2020/21 annual plan.
It's obviously preferable for elected members to be present so they can participate in important decision-making on behalf of our community - that is what we've been elected to do.
Attending meetings and workshops ensures we get the information we need, provides opportunities to ask questions and have discussions and helps us to understand what's going on. All of that then enables us to make informed decisions and be effective.
There will always be times when people are unable to attend but missing meetings does mean you miss that opportunity to have your view heard and have input into decision-making.
Re your questions about formal apologies and standing orders, see below information (rather than quotes/comments from the mayor):
Formal apologies are recorded in meeting minutes and show if a member took part in debate and decision-making on any agenda item. They are available for the public to view, allowing them to follow Council decision-making.
Formal apologies - which are usually submitted prior to a meeting - also give the chair an indication of whether a quorum will be met and maintained during a meeting.
See reference (excerpt) re apologies from the Standing Orders below:
Apologies
The Mayor (or acting chair) must invite apologies at the beginning of each meeting, including apologies for lateness and early departure. Members may be recorded as absent on council business where their absence is a result of a commitment made on behalf of the council.
The minutes will record any apologies tendered before or during the meeting, including whether they were accepted or declined and the time of arrival and departure of all members.
Regarding any rules/standing orders around how many meetings a councillor can miss before a councillor is formally warned or disciplined for non-attendance: there is nothing in the code of conduct but see below from the standing orders:
Absent without leave
Where a member is absent from four consecutive meetings of the council, local board or community board without leave of absence or an apology being accepted (not including extraordinary or emergency meetings) then the office held by the member will become vacant. A vacancy created in this way is treated as an extraordinary vacancy.
cl. 5 (d) Schedule 7, LGA 2002.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Call for national Wood First policy
Enquiry
I was hoping to please ask the mayor:
What benefit has Rotorua seen from our wood-first policy since it was adopted five years ago?
What challenges have their been?
Does she support this call by forestry leaders and business chambers?
Why?
Anything else she'd like to add is welcome.
Response
From Mayor Chadwick:
Forestry and wood processing accounts for about 15 per cent of Rotorua's GDP so it is crucial to our local economy and Council's Wood First policy acknowledges that. As a council we have looked to, wherever possible and feasible, take a wood first approach to projects and procurement and have encouraged developers and others to do the same.
Despite taking a hit due to COVID-19, there is optimism within the forestry and wood processing sector about the future and about opportunities for growth and diversification that would contribute further to economic recovery and create new jobs. Greater use of sustainable materials also fits with the need for environmental stewardship.
Our district's and country's economic recovery won't just be about reviving what we already have but growing, innovating and diversifying to create new opportunities.
It's great to see forestry and wood processing looking to rapidly adapt and work strategically as a focused sector and I absolutely support this call to consider taking the wood first' policy national. I'll do whatever I can, as mayor, to encourage Central Government to consider it.
