Council to continue livestreaming meetings during Level 3
Waipā residents can continue to tune into Council and key committee meetings online during Alert Level 3.
Waipā District Council began using the video conferencing application Zoom and livestreaming Council, key committee and community board meetings to YouTube at the start of Alert Level 4.
Since then, Council has livestreamed six meetings, with hundreds of residents viewing the videos.
The adoption of the new technology followed an amendment to the Local Government Act that enabled virtual meetings to meet quorum requirements.
Prior to the changes, quorum requirements meant at least seven councillors needed to be physically present in Council chambers for a decision to be passed. Now, for an interim period during the current pandemic, quorum can be met via virtual presence.
Waipā District Council mayor Jim Mylchreest said the livestreaming was working well.
“Livestreaming is new to many of us, but councillors, community board members and staff have embraced the new technology during these uncertain times.”
Mylchreest said it was important for residents to have access to Council meetings – with the exception of public-excluded meetings.
“Giving residents the choice to listen to our discussions is vital for a healthy, transparent democracy and provides people with an understanding of how and why we arrive at certain decisions.”
Mylchreest said Council would consider continuing to livestream meetings when they were resumed in Council chambers.
Tune into Council, committee and community board meetings and view meeting agendas and minutes at waipadc.govt.nz/livestream.
Key committee meetings being livestreamed include Regulatory, Finance and Corporate, Service Delivery and Strategic Planning and Policy.