Earlier this week a popular local blog was discussing the performance of various local bodies in Hawkes Bay. In his comments on the Napier City Council the writer stated, and I quote “The only reason to go to a Napier City Council meeting is to see if anyone has died. Decisions regarding the future of Napier that are truly important are made somewhere else. I think at Mayor Barbara Arnotts kitchen table”
I expected better of the writer than that. He has set out to be intentionally mischievous and provocative. He knows exactly how the system works at the Napier City Council and would have served his readers better if he had explained the methodology that results in the good decisions that Napier makes.
It is said we operate a “double debate” system, but in many ways we triple debate issues.
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Let me tell you how it works in practice. When a matter is brought to councillors’ attention we go and have a look at the area concerned. It might be a drain or an intersection, or the provision of sports grounds. We go either individually or collectively and inspect the issue. We then go into the main committee room with the relevant officers and thrash the matter out at a seminar. This no holds barred situation is my kind of forum – no rules, no standing orders, no limit on speaking rights, no silly bloody conflict of interest rules – simply an honest investigation of whatever the matter may be. Often broad agreement is found at the seminars and the matter then goes on to a committee agenda. The matter or issue can then be debated in a more formal forum and the recommendations of the officers are tabled in writing. At any time councillors can introduce new information or comment on presented information before a vote is taken. In practice much of that comment has been made at the seminar stage and for some, only needs to be repeated when the press is present.
If passed at the committee stage the issue goes to the full council and generally goes through without too much further comment apart from a degree of political grandstanding.
So that’s how the system works in Napier and it is one of the reasons why Napier people are far more satisfied with their elected representatives than others are with theirs.
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