Talk at a meeting

You can attend any council or committee meeting.  You are welcome to listen, but you cannot interrupt or make comment.

If you wish to speak at a meeting, you can either speak personally or on behalf of a lobby group, delegation, submission, petition etc, you need to let us know 3 working days before that meeting. If you would like to speak at a meeting contact us.

Where our meetings are held

Council meetings are held in the Council Chamber and committee meetings in the Committee Room at the Fitzherbert Street administrative centre, Gisborne.

If the door is closed, just enter and sit in the chairs provided around the side of the room. 

What time should you arrive

It is important that you arrive at the meeting at least 10 minutes before your allocated time.  If we are ahead of schedule you may be asked to speak earlier than your allocated time.

Check meeting dates and times or contact the committee secretary.

Who will be at the meeting

You will be there together with the Mayor, councillors and council staff.  Other members of the public and the media (radio, newspaper, television) may also be there.

What happens before the meeting

Let us know if you need any special equipment set up or if you have any special needs.   If you would like to present your submission in Maori, please contact the meeting chairperson at least 2 working days before the meeting.  We may need to arrange an interpreter.

You can bring written material.  Please make sure you bring enough copies.  Committee meetings require 10 copies and Council meetings require 20 copies.

At the meeting

When you arrive, sit in the chairs around the side of the meeting room.  If you have brought written material please give it to the committee secretary to hand out.

When it is your turn to speak the chairperson will introduce you to the councillors and invite you up to the table.  Any equipment you have prearranged to use will be available for you.

When you have finished speaking councillors may ask you a few questions.  The questions will be for clarification, no debate will take place.

Following your public comment, you may take a seat back in the public area to hear proceedings.

If the matter you have spoken about is not on the agenda then no resolution can be made on your presentation, but council officers may be asked to prepare a report for consideration at a subsequent meeting.

What you cannot do at a meeting

Public comment sessions are not a forum to request information.  The public may not make a disturbance during the meeting.  The chairperson has the right to have disruptive people removed.  

• These are public meetings you may attend and observe proceedings on any day the Council or Committees meet.

For any other enquiries regarding participation in meetings and meeting procedures, please contact us

Public excluded meetings

A local authority has to provide a good reason if they wish to exclude the public from Council or Committee meetings - this also includes the media.  Reasons for 'public excluded' include:

• disclosing trade secrets
• prejudicing the maintenance of the law (including the right to a fair trial)
• protecting the privacy of any person

Appendix A of Model Standing Orders (NZS9202:2003) lists all grounds to exclude the public in terms of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.