Public Forum
What is a Public Forum and what to expect?
A Public Forum is scheduled at the beginning of each Council and Community Board Meeting and is your chance to express your opinion to your Elected Representatives and to bring matters, not necessarily on the meeting's agenda, to the attention of Council. These presentations do not form part of the formal business of the meeting i.e. consideration of business items listed on the Agenda, however, a brief record of matters raised will be included in the official minutes of the Meeting.
Permission from the Chairperson is required for anyone wishing to speak. Requests must be made at least two (2) clear days before the meeting and should outline the matters you wish to address. If you miss the deadline, the chairperson can accept your request to speak if they think the matter is of urgency or public interest.
A period of up to 30 minutes, or longer as the meeting may determine, is set aside for public to speak to Elected Members. As a speaker, you are allocated up to five (5) minutes to address Council. No more than two people can speak on behalf of an organisation during a public forum.
Meet & Greet at the Meeting
Members of the Governance Team will be there to meet and greet you at the venue, and we recommend arriving about 5 to 10 minutes before the meeting is due to start. Please make sure your mobile phone or any other devices are switched to silent mode.
Where do I sit?
You’re welcome to come into the Council Chamber / Meeting Venue during any public meeting. As you enter the room there are seats set aside for the Public Gallery; please take one of these for the first part of the meeting. If you enter after the meeting has started, we ask that you please come in quietly and take a seat.
When do I speak?
The Chairperson will open the meeting and there will be a few procedural matters to go through (Karakia, Apologies, Conflicts of Interest, and any late items) before the meeting moves to suspend standing orders and open the floor to the public.
Council and Community Board meetings are formal, and it is important not to interrupt Elected Members when they are speaking and not to speak until requested by the Chairperson.
Where will I present from?
People presenting to our Elected Members sit at the end of the table opposite the Chairperson. We will let you know when it’s your turn and will invite you to come up. When you are invited to address the meeting, please take the seat at the table marked “presenter”.
Chairperson's Discretion
The Chairperson has the discretion to decline to hear a speaker or to terminate a presentation at any time where:
- A speaker is repeating views presented by an earlier speaker at the same public forum;
- The speaker is criticising Elected Representatives and/or Council Officers;
- The speaker is being repetitious, disrespectful or offensive;
- The speaker has previously spoken on the same issue;
- The matter is subject to legal proceedings; and
- The matter is subject to a hearing, including the hearing of submissions where the local authority or committee sits in a quasi-judicial capacity.
Will the Elected Members ask me questions?
When you have finished speaking, the Chairperson can allow Elected Members to ask you questions if they want to clarify anything you talked about or find out more. Elected Members can ask questions of clarification but will not debate the issues raised.
Will the Elected Members make a decision based on what I say?
No debate or decisions will be made at the meeting on issues raised during the forum, unless related to items already on the agenda, however, the Elected Members may request matters for action be referred to the Chief Executive for further investigation. A reply will be provided as soon as possible.
After the Meeting
Your name and the item you spoke to will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The minutes also note which organisation you represented, if applicable, and anything distributed or tabled at the meeting will also become part of the public record. The minutes are published to our website, usually a couple of working days after the meeting.
Wanting a Decision?
Where you are seeking a decision to be made by Elected Members, you would be recommended to make a Deputation instead.
