What does a councillor actually do?

A lot of people ask me about my role as a city councillor, so here's a bit of a run down on what the role involves and how I approach it.

Councillors are elected in 16 small wards across the city, but we swear an oath to make decisions in the best interests of the city as a whole, for now and future generations. 

Council, committee and community board meetings

Where the formal decision making of Council happens. Agendas for each go up days in advance for public scrutiny, the reports on each item have all background information and options for consideration and public are welcome to attend. They have strict rules set out in the Standing Orders, which you can read here: Standing-Orders-adopted-6-April-2017-Final-Formatted.pdf (ccc.govt.nz)

At the moment Council and the four Committees of the Whole (with all councillors) meet monthly and we are also appointed to our local community boards and attend those meetings too. I currently chair the Sustainability and Community Resilience Committee. We also have several smaller committees such as the Youth Committee and Audit and Risk and some Working Groups with a short term focus on a specific topic, such as Coastal Hazards.

We get around 5 days to read the agendas, which is usually plenty, though tough when there are 3+ meetings in a week as they can get large (400pp+). Reading the agendas can be quite time consuming, but is really important, so we can make sure that we're fully informed when making decisions. Sending questions through to staff ahead of the meeting is also useful as it allows them time to find additional information or to clarify what's there.

The number of 'public excluded' reports has dropped in recent years and is down to around 5%. They deal with commercial considerations or personal information and are usually released after a certain period of time. 

A councillor's role is to provide governance and oversight, rather than to actually do the mahi and the Chief Executive is our one employee. We cannot tell staff what to do or what decision to make on operational matters such as consents or prioritising specific projects, but can give this direction as a full council by resolution with appropriate advice. 

A key part of governance in having all of the information before making a decision and not being biased or predetermined, or even perceived to be. Here's a great wee video from the Office of the Auditor General that explains it well. https://youtu.be/mu6ocfRb0Vo 

Getting Your Ideas Across the Line

Council is not parliament and councillors are all 'in power' once elected. While there might be a majority who share common values, block voting is not allowed, so to get things done it's good to build relationships with colleagues, staff and the community, to be well prepared with good information and persuasive in debate. It's not easy as one of seventeen votes, but a simply saying that I want something to happen and not working hard for it, won't get me very far. 

In 2021 an independent review into governance at Wellington City Council reflected that, "There is a difference between debate that tests and contests ideas in order to find the best outcome, and debate that fundamentally undermines trust and confidence in the institution." and "The most effective Councils are characterised by a culture of team across the various components – elected members, managers and officers (the organisation), and in the most exemplary cases CCOs. In such cases, roles and responsibilities are well understood, contributions from each are respected, and there is usually a set of shared objectives and desired outcomes. In such cases the language is about ‘we’, not ‘us and them’. A deep seated, and seemingly structural, ‘us and them’ culture of this nature can only act against effective governance and a culture of delivery."

Workshops and briefings

Where elected members get a heads up on issues or projects well ahead of any formal decision being made. The LGOIMA has clear guidance for these and where we can we make these publicly available. They're really useful to get my head around issues early and get more background information. We have regular briefing sessions and also meet with Ecan Councillors and MPs to share information.

Hearings panels

Used when a decision needs to go through a more detailed process with a higher level of engagement with residents. After a proposal has been consulted on a hearings panel of Councillors and/or community board members will hear from submitters in person, question staff and make changes to the plan. It then makes a recommendation on the decision to the final decision maker, usually Council (some are at Community Board). I've chaired a few of these including Denton Park, Taylors Mistake Baches and Akaroa Wastewater as well as sitting as a panel member for many more.   

External Appointments

Many councillors are appointed to organisations outside of Council, but connected in some way. This could be as a director of a Council company, a joint committee with other Councils or an NGO. I am currently appointed to CCHL and the Greater Christchurch Partnership, each of which have their own regular meeting schedules, committees, reports and agendas.

Councillors are often asked to represent the organisation at events and functions around the city or further afield. Sometimes we do this on the Mayor's behalf when she's fully booked up. I've been asked to open conferences or functions, to be a guest speaker at conferences or community events or even to judge jams and preserves! It's a great part of the job. 

Community Groups

The heart of our city and we wouldn't be as amazing place to live without them. Council has grant funding available, but I'm also in contact with many local and citywide groups, helping navigate Council processes or showing support for their many projects. From Residents Associations, to surf clubs, community gardens, environmental groups, business associations and so many more. Our city runs on volunteer effort and supporting them is so important.

Working with local residents

Ongoing and I'm in regular contact with residents over issues such as consenting, issues with neighbours or ideas to progress. I also do a lot of following up with staff on requests for service that have been put through by residents, but not yet actioned. 

communication

A key part of my role, letting people know what's happening at Council and around the city, what's coming up by way of event or consultations and how to navigate Council processes. I also post up information around key decisions and why I voted a certain way - trying to be transparent and accountable to residents that I represent. I currently have Facebook Sara Templeton - Councillor for Heathcote | Facebook and my website Sara Templeton as my key modes. 

The Local Government Act 2002 is what governs what Councils and elected members responsibilities are. Under the Act:

"The purpose of local government is - (a) to enable democratic local decision-making and action by, and on behalf of, communities; and (b) to promote the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of communities in the present and for the future."

And in Section 78: "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.

Here's the link if you'd like to know more: Local Government Act 2002 No 84 (as at 15 November 2021), Public Act Contents – New Zealand Legislation

We also operate under LGOIMA - the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act. This makes it clear that information and correspondence are Official Information and can be requested by the public and that meetings should be open to the public, though there are exceptions, including: "One reason for withholding official information is to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions—section 9(2)(g)(i) of the OIA and section 7(2)(f)(i) of the LGOIMA."