In the three years to 2020, Rotorua Lakes Council had 37 council workshops, all of them closed to the public. Photo / Getty Images
In the three years to 2020, Rotorua Lakes Council had 37 council workshops, all of them closed to the public. Photo / Getty Images
A Rotorua mayoral candidate says the district council's current closed-door workshop practice has created a "perception" issues have "already been decided".
Local Democracy Reporting asked Rotorua's seven mayoral candidates for their stance on closed-door council workshops.
The topic arose during the last local electoral term after Rotorua man Justin Adams complained to the Ombudsman about Rotorua Lakes Council's use of them.
A Local Democracy Reporting investigation in 2021 revealed over the three years to 2020, 31 councils held 937 workshops, and 737 were closed to the public.
Over that period, Rotorua Lakes Council had 37 council workshops, all of them closed to the public.
An official information release showed in the last term, the council held 41 closed-door workshops, all closed to the public. The most were in 2020, with 25 held. There were 10 in 2021 and six in 2022.
In May this year council district leadership and democracy deputy chief executive Oonagh Hopkins was asked how the council decided if a workshop - or forum, as they are referred to by the council - was to be confidential or not.
Hopkins said it was decided at the beginning of each term.
"Forums have been agreed to by the council as the most productive way to do this, providing opportunities to traverse a range of topics freely which then provides the frameworks for staff and future conversations with the community.
"In no way are these decision-making forums."
This week, mayoral candidate Fletcher Tabuteau said in his opinion the current approach to closed-door workshops had "created the perception that issues have already been decided".
Fletcher Tabuteau. Photo / Supplied / Stephen Parker
"I commit to maximum transparency and public accountability [if elected mayor].
"There is nothing wrong with workshops but we must commit to using them in compliance with the responsibilities under the [Local Government Official Information and Meetings] Act.
"Meetings should be open to the public, unless there is good reason to exclude them, for example, commercial sensitivity."
Mayoral candidate Tania Tapsell said current practices needed to change, saying the public had a "right to know what is going on", but she supported closed-door workshops for "background information".
Tania Tapsell. Photo / Andrew Warner
"There should be no decision making and relevant information should also be made available to the public."
Tapsell said closed-door workshops, in general, had been "damaging to the perception of politics" but there was a genuine need for confidentiality when discussing commercially sensitive information.
"This should be the exception. The public deserve to know the entire decision-making process.
"I've committed to leading an open and transparent council if elected mayor. I don't support decisions being made in workshops and key information should be made accessible to the public to increase transparency and accountability.
"I also want improved community consultation and sharing of information before decisions are made."
All candidates were asked - yes or no - if they would support workshops being open to the public, and only excluding the public for reasons set out for formal meetings under local government meeting law - such as commercial sensitivity and privacy of individuals.
Tapsell said, "not yet".
"We do need change, but I'd like to know the findings and recommendations from the Ombudsman investigation before committing to make sure we get it right."
In August Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier announced an inquiry into councils' use of closed-door workshops, stating concerns they could be "undermining local democracy" and that meeting requirements couldn't be avoided "simply by calling what is really [a] meeting a 'workshop' ".
Rotorua Lakes Council is one of eight councils included in the investigation.
Mayoral candidate Raj Kumar said transparency was "the hallmark" of his campaign.
Raj Kumar. Photo / Supplied
"Right now there is a complete lack of trust. However, the winds of change are coming and it's bringing renewed faith.
"What we need is think tanks that can participate to a degree that offers us an insight to solution seeking."
Mayoral candidate Rania Sears said she was "not supportive of closed-door workshops" but there were some good reasons for them, such as commercial sensitivity.
"How do we have transparent healthy discussion, debate, input if everything is carried out behind closed doors?
"It seems more and more democracy is dying, dishonoured, ignored, controlled."
She said public inclusion built trust and decisions and outcomes could be better tolerated, accepted and respected by the community when there was "inclusion and true democracy".
She said she would commit to open workshops, applying public exclusion only for reasons laid out in law.
"Councils have a duty to serve the public, manage taxpayers' money and do what is right for their city.
"They should never hide away from the no doubt difficult discussions that will need to be sometimes had, nor can they ever fear opposing views."
Mayoral candidate Reynold Macpherson said closed-door workshops were "obsolete".
"We want public input from [the] council's expert officials, its policy advisory boards and from hearings, followed by transparent decision-making by elected members and public accountability."
Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Supplied
He said in his view an example was when closed-door workshops "were used to cut down 12 options to one at the representation review".
In his opinion, closed-door workshops undermined the "legitimacy" of the policy process and public trust in the outcomes.
"They should be replaced by an open policy process with all phases known in advance, especially authentic consultations of all stakeholders. Only commercially and personally sensitive aspects should be referred to elected members' public-excluded discussions."
Mayoral candidate Ben Sandford said he explicitly supported opening workshops to the public and applying the rules of the law to them.
He said he was "not supportive" of closed-door council workshops, saying there needed to be a "more transparent way to hold discussions and give direction to [the] council".
"They've contributed to undermining people's trust in council processes and decision making."
He said there were some things that needed to be discussed in confidence, such as commercially sensitive matters or those relating to private individuals, but "the overriding principle should be that discussions need to be transparent and open so that the public can not only see the decisions but the thought that has gone into those decisions".
Mayoral candidate Kalaadevi Ananda opposed closed-door council workshops.
"Democracy is key to a healthy, thriving, and productive council and district. Transparency is democracy. Transparency gives knowledge and allows participation.
Kalaadevi Ananda. Photo / Mead Norton
"As mayor and [the] council [if elected] we have the responsibility to have open workshops to the public, unless there is very good reason - I support protections such as privacy, commercial and cultural sensitivity.
"I commit to rebuilding trust in the council and elected officials. Operating with transparency, community, participation, and debate are primary.
"If you cannot say something in front of your ratepayers, you should not be saying it."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick - who has previously defended the use of closed-door workshops - was approached for comment and right of reply but did not wish to comment.
The council organisation was also approached but did not consider it appropriate to comment on election statements.
Local Democracy Reporting is public interest journalism funded by NZ On Air.
