Rotorua councillors told to listen to public amid comment censorship claim

Rotorua resident Jared Adams spoke to councillors on Wednesday. Photo / Laura Smith

A Rotorua resident has concerns the district council is “controlling the narrative” on social media rather than listening to public opinion.

But the Rotorua Lakes Council says actions like removing comments or preventing or shutting down comments are taken only when the rules have been breached.

Jared Adams spoke to Rotorua Lakes Council at a meeting on Wednesday of his concerns it was restricting public comments on social media.

Adams told councillors they had a responsibility to “put the voices of the people and Rotorua community above the preferences of council staff”.

The public trusted them to act on their behalf and listen to concerns to ensure their voices shaped decision-making, he said.

Limiting public engagement on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube undermined that trust, he said.

“It suggests that the council was more concerned with controlling the narrative than fostering open dialogue with its community.”

Adams said he understood the council’s intent of providing accurate information, but also that relying solely on council information was “dangerous”.

“No institution is infallible and councils, including this one, have been wrong and incorrect many times in the past.”

Limiting comments and feedback created an echo chamber where the council’s version of events was amplified, he said.

Rotorua resident Jared Adams spoke to councillors on Wednesday. Photo / Laura Smith

Adams’ view was that residents’ opportunity to challenge information or provide alternative perspectives was undermined, and it was in moments of public disagreement the council could learn and grow.

Social media allowed residents to engage in an accountability process, he said.

Directing people to emails and phone lines put an “unnecessary wall between the community and leaders”.

While open dialogue on social media may be challenging to manage, Adams said it was more dangerous to shut it down.

“The answer isn’t to silence discussion but to engage with it.”

Comments were turned off on the council’s meeting livestreams but were enabled on other videos posted on YouTube.

The council has at times commented on its own Facebook posts that it would be monitoring the public’s comments.

A council comment on one such post related to the controversial Tarawera Sewerage Scheme and the protests at Lake Rotokākahi.

“Kia ora, we understand this is a contentious issue and that people hold strong opinions.

“We will be moderating comments that breach our guidelines,” the council comment read.

“You are welcome to share your opinion but please be respectful in your comments to others and the council. Our intention is not to censor kōrero but we will hide comments that are abusive or harassing. Ngā mihi.”

In August it posted its updated social media community guidelines.

The update advised the public that any comments or questions that aimed to “derail the conversation” would be removed.

“Rotorua Lakes Council reserves the right to remove contributions and followers on its social media pages that break the rules or guidelines of the relevant communities e.g. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and our rules stated below.

“Private messages, public comments and images on the council’s social media pages must always be polite, respectful, appropriate, and relevant. Repeated and/or particularly extreme offences will result in a ban from our pages.”

Banned users may request the ban be lifted after six months by contacting the customer centre via email. If the ban is lifted and the user continues to breach its guidelines, then a ban would be applied indefinitely.

A council spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday: “We welcome comments, discussion and genuine questions via council social media channels and our community guidelines aim to keep conversations on topic and respectful.”

They said actions like removing comments or preventing or shutting down comments were taken only when the rules had been breached.

“We don’t make these decisions lightly and careful consideration is given before a decision is made.

“Banning someone from our social media channels is a last resort.”

One person was banned indefinitely in 2015/16 from the council’s Facebook page for repeatedly breaching the council’s Facebook rules.

“More recently, a person was banned from our Instagram page for repeatedly sending direct messages with offensive content.

“We do not have the resources to monitor and engage in all channels so we focus on those most used by people in our community who engage with us via social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.”

Blue and yellow in council chambers

The Bay of Plenty Steamers won their NPC semifinal last weekend, beating Canterbury 32-20.

Heading for the finals this weekend, the team will play in the capital’s Sky Stadium against Wellington on Saturday. The Steamers won the inaugural NPC in 1976.

Councillor Robert Lee wore his blue and yellow scarf in support at the meeting on Wednesday.

When mayor Tania Tapsell asked for any urgent items, Lee raised his hand.

“Last weekend the Bay of Plenty Steamers achieved something that hasn’t been achieved for a very long time.”

Councillor Robert Lee donned a blue and yellow scarf in support of the Steamers on Wednesday. Photo / Laura Smith

Given the “notable achievement”, he wondered if the mayor would send a letter.

“And let them know, we are in Rotorua - it’s not a home game - will be with them in spirit on Saturday and watching their feats against Wellington.”

Tapsell said she had one in preparation.

“We will pass on our best wishes from our council and our community.”

Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist since 2019.

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.