Every day, Council makes decisions about managing the community’s resources. Using a web forum is one method of encouraging honest and effective consultation with and also within our community.

This forum has been created as a space for citizens, staff, and councillors to converse about various issues that affect Council and the community. Council will usually post topics under three broad levels:

Strategic issues – Annual Plan; District Plan; Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP); Solid Waste Management Plan; Community development etc…

Policy issues – Bylaws; Rating Policy; Dog Control Bylaw; Reserve Management Plans; Gambling Policy etc…

Operational issues – Levels of Service; Resource consent applications; Leases; Projects etc…

Initially, two types of forum discussion will be offered:

1. Public Consultation

   Topics included under this heading will be official consultation items. Consultation will usually be required under various legislative acts.

   Topics may include special consultation items within documents such as the Annual Plan, LTCCP, or District Plan, or they may be stand alone such as bylaws and policies.

2. General Discussion

   Informal discussion will be offered so the community can put forward their comments about topical issues.

   Examples may typically include consulting on community development type issues e.g. ideas for a town celebration; views about youth; thoughts about a future project etc…

   In addition, people who have registered with the forum will be able to open their own topics for conversation. These do not necessarily have to be about Council issues but it would be preferrable if they were related to Central Hawke's Bay. This does not give leave for a free for all open session on Council bashing. We would like these discussions to be informal and constructive - and the keyword here is "constructive". It is up to the community to set the tone of the General Discussion area. However, if the tone is overly negative, aggressive or otherwise unconstructive, it is unlikely the General Discussion area will remain open.

Expectations

Council will always consider the consultation process as a whole with an open mind. Along with formal submissions and informal discussions, Council will also consider other factors such as expert advice, the benefits, and costs of any options.

Decisions made following consultation will be made after considering the views of all stakeholders and the Council will make all reasonable, cost-effective efforts to learn these views and encourage stakeholders to take part, particularly the silent majority.

However, consultation is NOT about agreement. Whether by official submission or informal conversation, consultation provides an opportunity to influence an outcome, not a guarantee.

The information contained in this forum is publicly available.