Kept in the dark again

Exhibit A: Vision Wanganui's Democracy Policy.

"...democracy is based upon empowering informed citizens..." (Unless it's about trees).

"Communication between Council and citizens is poor. Too little accessible information is made available to Wanganui people" (unless it's about trees, in which case it's perfectly okay).

"There are serious doubts at the effectiveness and frequency of current communications from the Council to its citizens" (and we intend to keep things that way).

Exhibit B: Local Government Act 2002.

14 (1) (a) a local authority should—
(i) conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner.

78 (1) A local authority must, in the course of its decision-making process in relation to a matter, give consideration to the views and preferences of persons likely to be affected by, or to have an interest in, the matter.

82 (1)(a) persons who will or may be affected by, or have an interest in, the decision or matter should be provided by the local authority with reasonable access to relevant information in a manner and format that is appropriate to the preferences and needs of those persons.

82 (1)(b) persons who will or may be affected by, or have an interest in, the decision or matter should be encouraged by the local authority to present their views to the local authority.

82 (1)(e) the views presented to the local authority should be received by the local authority with an open mind and should be given by the local authority, in making a decision, due consideration:

Exhibit C: Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987

48 Right of local authorities to exclude public:

(1) Subject to subsection (3) of this section, a local authority may by resolution exclude the public from the whole or any part of the proceedings of any meeting only on one or more of the following grounds:

(b) That the public conduct of the whole or the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting would be likely to result in the disclosure of information the public disclosure of which would —
(i) Be contrary to the provisions of a specified enactment (nope) ; or
(ii) Constitute contempt of Court or of the House of Representatives (nope);

(c) That the purpose of the whole or the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting is to consider a recommendation made to that local authority by an Ombudsman... (nope)

(d) That the exclusion of the public from the whole or the relevant part of the proceedings of the meeting is necessary to enable the local authority to deliberate in private on its decision or recommendation in any proceedings to which this paragraph applies (see below).

(2) Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this section applies to—

(a) Any proceedings before a local authority where —
(i) A right of appeal lies to any Court or tribunal against the final decision of the local authority in those proceedings (nope); or
(ii) The local authority is required, by any enactment, to make a recommendation in respect of the matter that is the subject of those proceedings (nope); and

(b) Repealed.

(c) Any proceedings of a local authority in relation to any application or objection under the Marine Farming Act 1971 (nope).

Summing Up

So we put it to you, members of the Wanganui public, that you've been kept in the dark on matters which were rightly your business, and for no reason that's possibly justifiable under law. Dotty has of course pleaded insanity, and about that there can be no doubt. But that still leaves recidivist recreant Mickey and Frau Himmler Higgie. Both with lengthy records and, if allowed to get away with this albeit seemingly minor offence, likely to reoffend in even more diabolical ways. How say you?

Update (2.00 pm 8 December): Around this time last year we posted a picture of Mickey as Bad Santa. Little did we know that we'd uncovered a scoop: Mickey has, in fact, taken on a holiday job at Harrods.

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