That the Council adopt the Consultation Policy as follows:
'Consultation Policy'
Policy statement
The Christchurch City Council values and is committed to effective community consultation.
Introduction
The Council recognises that it has obligations to seek the views of local communities on issues, plans and strategies that may directly or indirectly affect them. This Consultation Policy has been prepared to meet the Council’s commitment to making decisions in an open, transparent and democratically accountable way. The Council will consider the views of the community at each step of the processes leading up to making a decision.
Councillors and Community Board members are elected to make decisions on behalf of their communities. Consultation with the community is one of a number of elements which help the Council make informed decisions. Other elements include research, technical information, legislation, protocols, existing policy and social, economic, environmental and cultural priorities. The Council needs to balance the effects of projects or issues on individuals or particularly communities against the needs and wellbeing of the wider community.
Consultation is one of the ways in which the Council interacts and engages with the people of Christchurch. Other processes include community development, capacity building, community partnerships and collaboration, communication and devolution. There is often a relationship or overlap between these processes.
The Council may choose not to consult on some projects when it believes it has enough information with which to make an informed decision. In these cases, the public will receive information about the project and the decision.
Consultation Policy objectives
- To promote a sense of ownership of Council and Community Board decisions by the people of Christchurch.
- To seek to inform the people of Christchurch about issues, strategies or plans that may directly or indirectly affect them.
- To ensure the people of Christchurch have the opportunity for meaningful input and genuine involvement in the Council’s decision making.
- To provide the people of Christchurch with the opportunity to become aware of each other’s opinions and to recommend appropriate solutions to community issues.
- To ensure the Council is meeting its legislative requirements regarding community consultation.
- To ensure the Council has enough quality information, including information on the views of the community, to make decisions.
Levels of consultation
The Council wants to ensure that it uses the appropriate levels of consultation for the range of projects, services and activities it undertakes. Such consultations should be designed to suit the diverse range of Council activities and projects. The level of community consultation relates directly to the nature, complexity and impact of the issue, plan or strategy. Elected members will be involved in determining when consultation will occur.
When applicable the Council’s draft Policy on Significance may determine the level and type of consultation required. The draft Policy on Significance compares the potential impact of the issue with the relative costs and benefits of undertaking consultation in order to determine significance.
The Local Government Act 2002 requires that the Council will use the Special Consultative Procedure on certain occasions. Some examples are as follows:
- Adopting a Long Term Council Community Plan,
- Adopting an annual plan,
- Reviewing a strategic asset, for example, the library network as a whole,
- Making or amending a bylaw,
- Changing the mode of service delivery of a significant activity, for example a proposal to stop funding events and festivals.
The Special Consultative Procedure, as described in Section 83, does not release the Council from the requirements of Sections 76–82 of the Local Government Act 2002.
The Council may choose to use the Special Consultative Procedure to assist with other kinds of decision-making.
2. Projects which do not meet the criteria for significance will normally follow other consultation processes where applicable.
Consultation principles
The following principles will underpin the Council’s approach to community consultation. The principles are common to all consultation processes, but there are clearly different levels of consultation to meet different requirements.
Some of the principles outlined below have been adopted from the Local Government Act 2002 (Sections 78 and 82). Additional principles have been added which reflect the Council’s commitment to effective community consultation, to contribute to the Council’s decision making processes.
- Access to information - we will provide reasonable access to relevant information in a manner and format that is appropriate to needs of people.
- Encouragement to present views - we will encourage all those affected by or who have an interest in an issue or project to present their views.
- Transparency - we will provide information about the purpose of the consultation and the scope of the decisions for example why the Council is consulting, what issues are and are not up for decision making how the decisions will be made and who will be making them. The Council will be clear on how decisions will be made and who will be making them so that the participants know and understand the impact of their involvement.
- Opportunity to present your views - we will be flexible in allowing a variety of means of delivery. Anyone who wishes to have their views considered will be provided with a reasonable opportunity to present those views in any way that is appropriate to their needs, eg written submission, oral submissions.
- Feedback - we will provide information regarding the outcome of the decision making process and the reasons for the decisions.
- Openness - we will receive presented views with an open mind and will give those views due consideration when making a decision. The Council welcomes indications of support for or opposition to proposed projects or issues.
- Responding to diversity - we will seek the views of a wide cross-section of the community using the most appropriate ways of consulting with various sector and interest groups in the community.
- Consulting with Maori - we will establish and maintain processes that will provide opportunities for Maori to contribute to our decision making processes.
- Timeliness - we will build consultation into the planning process from the start. Sufficient time will be allowed for considered responses from all groups with an interest in or who are affected by the issue.
- Coordination - we will encourage cross-unit planning, coordination and collaboration amongst Council business units over consultation processes.
Notes:
- The Council’s obligations to seek the views of local communities are subject to statutory requirements in a number of statutes aside from this policy, for example the Resource Management Act 1991.
Addendum to Consultation Policy
Consultation framework
This Consultation Policy is part of a broader Consultation Framework. The aim of the Consultation Framework is to ensure that the people of Christchurch are consulted appropriately about issues, plans or strategies that may directly or indirectly affect them.
There are four main components:
- Consultation Policy - which outlines the objectives and principles of consultation.
- Consultation Strategy - which includes the Community Consultation Matrix which aims to provide staff with a guide on when and how they should consult with the community for different situations. It seeks to establish a consistent approach to consultation. (Internal Council document).
- Consultation Toolkit - the Toolkit aims to provide staff with advice on how and what methods they should use when consulting with the community in different situations. (Internal Council document).
- Citizens Pack - a guide for the public on the Council’s approach to consultation with the community which will include child, youth, older persons and culturally friendly explanations.
Council, 24 July 2003
