The Waikato District Council has regular meetings. The main Council meeting is held monthly with the Mayor and 13 Councillors. The Waikato District Council has seven Standing Committees and four Community Boards which also have regular meetings. There are also two Community Committees which are locally administered.
Members of the public, at the discretion of the Chairperson, are able to speak on issues at meetings through a public forum.
Council membership consists of a Mayor and Councillors (14), who along with Community Board members (24) put their names forward for Local Government Elections every three years. There are also Community Committee members (20) who are elected at a public meeting.
The Mayor is elected to represent the entire district, whilst each Councillor is responsible for representing one of the 11 wards in the Waikato district. The Council generally focuses on issues from a district-wide perspective, whilst Community Boards and Community Committees deal with local matters.
Speaking at a Waikato District Council Meeting
Arrangements for submitting a petition and speaking at a public forum or as a deputation need to be made with the appropriate Group Manager, Chairperson or Committee Secretary preferably before the agenda is distributed.
The conduct of Council, Committee and Community Board, meetings are regulated by the Council's adopted Standing Orders (meeting rules). Meeting protocol and presentation standards should be followed when speaking or making a presentation at meetings.
Deputations
Any individual, community group or organisation may address an issue at a meeting by using a deputation. To present an issue through a deputation, applications must be lodged in writing (outlining purpose, intent and expectation) to the Group Manager two working days before the meeting. The Chairperson must approve your application. It can be refused on the grounds of repetitiveness or offensiveness.
A deputation can be made up of any number of people, however, only two people from the deputation may address the meeting. A deputation has 10 minutes to address the Council, Committee or Community Board. Members may address questions to the deputation to clarify or expand a point.
Petitions
When preparing a petition to present to the Council, Committee or Community Board, you need to state the purpose, intent and expectation in less than 50 words.
You have two options for submitting your petition:
- You may request a Councillor or a Community Board member present the petition to the Council, Committee or Community Board on your behalf, or
- You may present the petition in person at the meeting. You will be given five minutes to state the request (or prayer) of the petition
Public Forum
A public forum allows you to speak on an issue directly to the Community Board.
At the discretion of the Chairperson, a public forum is held at either the beginning or end of the meeting. A five minute limit is allocated to each speaker. No decisions or recommendations can be made during public forum. However, the Chairperson may request that the issue be referred to a subsequent meeting for consideration.
Any written material on your issue should be forwarded to the appropriate Group Manager or Chairperson before the agenda closes. The information will be included in the agenda so elected members can read and consider the information before the meeting.
Public Attending Waikato District Council Meeting
If you are attending a public meeting, please be aware of the following:
- The public are unable to speak at a meeting unless prior permission has been sought and approved by the Chairperson. If you have been granted permission to speak or are involved in a Hearing, the Chairperson will address you directly
- At the discretion of the Chairperson, the public are given the opportunity to speak at the beginning or end of the meeting
- The meeting you are attending may have a public excluded section - please do not be offended if you are asked to leave the room
- Please familiarise yourself with the ‘Fire Action Evacuation Procedure’ on the wall in the meeting room. In the unlikely event of an emergency/evacuation, follow the Committee Secretary
- As a courtesy, please ensure that all cell phones are switched off