The Council is committed to making informed and sustainable decisions in the best interests of the communities and District and to ensure that the decisions made reflect the aspirations of tangata whenua, residents, ratepayers, community groups and business.

To help us to make the best decisions, Council engages with our communities every day in a number of different ways. Sometimes, this is us providing information, and other times we directly seek input into our decision-making processes.

Our Significance and Engagement Policy helps us by doing

two key things:

1. Outlines for the Council and the community how we decide what issues, proposals, decisions, assets and activities are significant
2. Sets out how and when communities can expect to input into council decision-making processes

Generally speaking, the more significant the issue, the greater deal of consultation or engagement will take place. This policy seeks to provide clarity as to when the Council will, and will not seek public participation.

Why are we proposing a change?

We are proposing a minor amendment to out Significance and Engagement Policy in light of COVID-19.

COVID-19 will cause a sharp shock to the economy of New Zealand. A recent Infometrics report commissioned by Council forecasts that 1,200 jobs could be lost in the Whakatāne District over the next year.

To combat this economic shock, the Government has initiated a range of economic stimulus options and is identifying opportunities across the country that can be started quickly to generate employment. It is likely that there will be multiple opportunities in front of the Council over the coming weeks and months that will require strong and rapid commitment from Council to maximise the economic benefit to our communities.

As a Council, we need to play our part and ensure we can deliver on our critical role to get projects that will support employment and economic spend in our District. Furthermore, we may have to quickly alter levels of service, as we have done under COVID-19 National Alert Levels 3 and 4, to respond to the situation as it unfolds.

Our current policy does not limit our ability to fast track decision-making. Neither does it outline an intent for Council to move quickly on these projects. The purpose of this change is to be transparent because there may be times we deem it inappropriate to seek increased public participation into decision-making in the near future.

What change are we proposing?

We are proposing to amend Sections 6.1 and 6.4 of the Policy, adding two additional criteria where we may choose not to seek public participation into the decision-making process. These criteria are time-bound and will expire when we adopt our next Long Term Plan in June 2021, or earlier if we deem them no longer necessary. These criteria are when:

1. Delayed action could jeopardise the viability of a project reasonably expected to have a significant positive effect on the economic recovery of the District or any of its communities from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; or
2. Council deems it necessary to alter a defined level of service temporarily in direct response to a change in New Zealand’s COVID-19 National Alert Level

We are additionally adding three principles that the Council will adhere to when choosing not to consult for one of these reasons. These principles are:

1. Council will consider and give weight to the preferences of the residents and ratepayers of the Whakatāne District, present and future, such as they are known and/or have been provided during previous engagement processes; and
2. Council will consider the impact on the wellbeing of the Whakatāne District community, both present and future; and
3. Council will consider the impact of the decision on Council's strategic objectives; including but not limited to; supporting the local economy, combatting climate change and continued financial prudence.

View the Draft Significance and Engagement Policy - (PDF, 546 KB)

Find out more and have your say

Thank you for your interest, consultation closed on Monday 8 June 2020. 

Key Dates

• ✓ 25 May - Consultation Opens
• ✓ 8 June - Consultation Closes
• ✓ 11 June - Council Meeting
  Council will meet on 11 June 2020 to deliberate on Annual Plan submissions, as well as to consider the proposed amendment to the Significance and Engagement Policy.