Systems For Public Access

Contacting the Council and Elected Members

Contact information for the Council, the Mayor and Councillors can be found on the Contact Us page of this website.

Public Attendance at Meetings

Members of the public are welcome to attend meetings of the Council and its Committees as observers.

Speaking at Meetings

If you would like to participate in the Council’s public forum at the beginning of Council meetings, please email us via governance@mdc.govt.nz at least a week prior to the meeting with:

• Your name, and the name or your organisation if you are speaking on behalf of an organisation
• Confirmation of the topic/s you wish to address

If this is not an option for you, you can provide a written speech to be read verbatim by a member at the meeting. This will need to be provided via email to governance@mdc.govt.nz.

It is important to note that when the meetings are being held remotely, the rules surrounding public participation have not changed. This means that you will still have the opportunity to speak for up to five (5) minutes, with members accorded time to ask you questions.

For any members of the public considering participating in public forum, please read the full requirements that are contained within the Council's Standing Orders.

Supporting Information

You may present a presentation and/or provide supporting information to your speech. This information will be circulated to members prior to the meeting.

Please provide any speeches, presentations, and supporting information via email to governance@mdc.govt.nz by midday on the day before the meeting.

Please note that for security reasons, staff will not be able to plug in a flashdrive / USB stick unless it has been provided at least two days before the meeting.