|
Speaking at Council meetings is a good way for you to express your opinion on city issues to your elected representatives. Up to 15 minutes are reserved for public participation at the beginning of every Council, Committee, Subcommittee and Community Board meeting.
Note that public participation is not a forum to request information from Councillors or Council staff. For such requests, call the Council.
Arranging a Time to Speak
If you want to speak to the Councillors, contact the Democratic Services team by phoning (04) 803 8334 or emailing public.participation
When you contact Democratic Services, please advise:
- your name and contact details
- the organisation you will represent, if any
- the subject of your statement - at Council meetings you can only speak to items on the agenda.
Some points about public participation:
- You need to advise Democratic Services of your wish to speak at a meeting by 12 noon the day before the meeting.
- The number of public participants who can speak at each meeting is limited. When there are a large number of requests to speak, the Chair of the meeting will determine who will speak.
- Each public participant will have between three and five minutes to speak, depending on the number of participants on the day. Democratic Services will tell you the day before the meeting exactly how long you should plan to speak.
- You can bring along written material supporting your position. Please ensure that enough copies are available for all Councillors by asking Democratic Services how many copies to bring.
- You can obtain copies of agendas and reports at least two days before the meeting from your local library, the Council or online.
At the Meeting
Council meetings are quite formal, so please understand and follow these basic rules:
- When you arrive, you will be greeted by an Adviser from Democratic Services who will show you where to sit when it is your time to address the meeting.
- If you have brought along written material, please give it to the Adviser to distribute.
- At the start of the meeting the Chair will run through some housekeeping matters and will then move on to public participation.
Speaking
- When it is your turn to speak the Chair will introduce you formally to the Councillors and invite you to move to the place where you will speak.
- The Chair will also advise you of how long you have to speak. You will be timed. Be careful to use your minutes wisely.
- It is important not to interrupt Councillors when they are speaking and not to speak until requested by the Chair.
- The Chair may terminate your statement if it is disrespectful or offensive.
- When you have finished speaking, the Councillors may want to ask you a few questions so that they can better understand your position.
Related Links
Department Details:
Democratic Services
|
