Questions asked about $110 fee for wedding couples

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Should wedding couples pay a $110 fee to Gisborne District Council to get married on a beach?

Some councillors have their doubts, but the answer is still yes after councillors, sitting this week as the finance and performance committee, adopted the final fees and charges for the 2023/24 financial year, with no additional changes.

Councillor Debbie Gregory asked why people were being charged to get married on a beach, and what  they received for their $110?

She was referring to the fees and charges policy that states a charge of $110 for marriages conducted on beaches, at the rose garden or any other council park or reserve.

Council chief financial officer Pauline Foreman said the issue had been robustly discussed by councillors several years ago.

The fee was basically a booking system which offered exclusivity rights.

Some locations might need a gate opened.

The fee was a minimum administration charge.

Cr Tony Robinson said he understood a fee being charged for using council reserves, but he wondered what jurisdiction or power the council held over a beach.

How was exclusivity provided on a beach, he asked.

Ms Foreman said exclusivity was more an issue on council reserves, but there were beaches where access had to be gained through a gated reserve.

A council staff member would provide further clarification later, she said.

Cr Nick Tupara said he also had concerns about the jurisdiction.

The $110 fee was hefty for unlocking a gate.

The report before councillors said proposed changes to the fees and charges were consistent with the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan, with proposed increases in line with the rate of inflation.

Public consultation ended in May and one submission was received.

The main changes for the 2023/2024 fees and charges include a new fee for charging the staff time for external resources at cost plus disbursements.

The interment fee for a stillborn child and the fee for the breaking of concrete have been removed.

This will have no impact on revenue as historically these have not been charged.

The fixed and renewal registration fees for food multi-site businesses have increased by 100 percent.

This reflects the actual time it takes for administration to register additional sites.

The fees for a stall in a public place have been removed.

This was required when fundraising stalls needed to be registered but these are now exempt.

Changes in the animal control department will see the charge for sustenance at the pound increased to $25 (13.6 percent increase) per day to cover the actual cost of food.

An increase in demand from the public to hire the Rose Room at the Lawson Field Theatre has led to additional fees for full and half-day hire.

Fees for local amateur and community voluntary groups using the War Memorial Theatre and Lawson Field Theatre have not increased.

Patutahi Hall hire charges for professional or touring groups have decreased because the hall does not have the facilities, such as lighting rigs, to host this performance level.

There are new fees for books that have been donated by the HB Williams Memorial Library Book Trust to be sold by the library.