Public participation at meetings

Attending Council meetings

At Council meetings the Mayor and Councillors debate and decide on all sorts of issues that affect our city.

Meetings are held in the Council Chambers, Te Marae o Hine – The Square on most Wednesdays, and anyone is welcome to attend.

You can also watch livestreamed meetings online as they happen, or catch up later on YouTube.

Agenda availability

Agendas are available two working days before each meeting, when they are uploaded to our upcoming meetings and agendas page.

• Customer Service Centre, Civic Administration Building
• All Council libraries

Or on request by telephoning 06 356 8199 (for collection from Council's Customer Service Centre).

Public participation at meetings

Council actively encourages people to get involved and speak at Council and committee meetings. If you wish to address a committee or Council meeting, please contact our Democracy and Governance team on governance@pncc.govt.nz or phone 06 356 8199.

There are several ways that the public can speak at meetings.

Public Comment (3 minutes)

Members of the public may speak for 3 minutes on any item on the agenda, or on other matters relating to that committee. Please notify the Chair or the Committee Administrator before the meeting, if you wish to give a public comment.

Public Comment is available at all Council and committee meetings.

For extraordinary committee meetings, public comment is only received with the approval of the Chairperson and must be confined to those items appearing on the agenda for the particular meeting concerned.

Presentations (10 minutes)

Members of the public may make a 10-minute presentation to any Committee or Council provided they have requested permission from the Chairperson at least seven working days before the date of the meeting concerned.

In cases of urgent or major public interest, the Chairperson may determine that a presentation be received in a shorter time frame.

Public presentations are available at all committee and Council meetings.

Petitions (10 minutes)

Members of the Public are welcome to present petitions to Council or the relevant Committee.

Petitions:

• Must contain at least 20 signatures and must consist of fewer than 150 words (excluding signatures).
• Need to be given to the Council seven working days before date of the meeting.
• Can not be disrespectful, offensive or include malice statements.
• Can be written in English or Māori.

Signatures need to be accompanied by a full name and address.

Anyone presenting a petition can speak for up to 10 minutes to the Council or Committee. Alternatively, an Elected Member can read the petition on your behalf, but must only read the petition, statement of parties from which it comes and the number of signatures.