DESPITE Auckland Council's dedication to becoming an eco-city, heavy wads of paper - the council's agendas - are still sent across the region, some of it at a less than frugal postage fee.
The Aucklander recently received an agenda from Waitemata Local Board weighing 1.9kg.
It was sent via tracked courier, at a cost of around $12. Auckland Council says each of the 21 local boards send between 25 and 50 printed agendas a month.
Local board chair Pippa Coom says the hefty agenda cover hearings of the draft local board plan and include all ratepayers' submissions.
"I am concerned with the amount of paper all the council processes seem to involve and would like to see a move to documents just being online.
"I've raised this with the CFO after I heard about the Timaru District Council issuing elected reps with iPads to use in meetings instead of printed agendas.
"However, I understand the current council IT systems wouldn't be able to support this kind of approach."
Rodney Local Board's Tree Council adviser, Hueline Massey, says the paper chain reflects poorly on council endeavours. "If this enlarged council wishes to be seen to be proactive in saving money for ratepayers and being environmentally conscious, then this is a very good point."
Although there is a legislative requirement to provide agendas a certain number of days before meetings, former Glen Eden mayor and Waitakere Local Board deputy chair, Janet Clews, notes courier costs are an issue.
"Copies of the agenda must be available to the public at all meetings, too. I'm not sure whether the legislation has caught up with technology. Courier costs are a concern to us, too, but I believe part of the problem is that staff are working at pace and are under pressure," she says.
"That is not a criticism of staff but a recognition that the organisation still has vacancies and everyone is trying to come to grips with new systems in a relatively new organisation."
More needs to be done to find ways to reduce impacts on the environment and ratepayers, says Albert-Eden Local Board deputy chair Margi Watson.
"IT certainly plays an important role in communication and helps us cut back on paper. Sometimes, paper is needed, and that's where reuse and recycling is critical."
Auckland Council manager of public affairs and media, Glyn Walters, says the council wants to move to distributing agendas online.
"We want to move to digital distribution as quickly as possible, for both environmental and cost reasons.
"In the meantime, however, we clearly have a statutory responsibility to ensure papers are distributed to those that need them and in the required timeframe," he says of the two-day requirement.
