Council meetings going online
Watching your elected councillors bicker or pass bylaws live via the internet may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a step closer in Porirua.
Live streaming meetings is not a new idea and you can watch Kapiti and Wellington councillors online.
When it was announced last year Wellington meetings would be live streamed, a price tag of $30,000 was estimated. No figure has been released for the cost of live streaming Porirua council meetings.
The views are not high, but Porirua’s deputy mayor, ’Ana Coffey, said it was about connecting with the community on as many levels as possible.
Providing the option to the public was consistent with the principles of new local government legislation and had the benefit of people hearing councillors’ discussion on big issues, she said.
‘‘It will make the whole process we go through more transparent – we’ve moved on from the times of town hall meetings and reading minutes,’’ she said.
‘‘When you have a topic like the Porirua Little Theatre building in Titahi Bay, it [streaming] can be valuable to show all the conversations, not just perceptions and recall afterwards.
‘‘People can judge for themselves the tone of councillors and council officers.’’
Coffey said it will also serve as an archive of sorts.
The costs were outlined to councillors in a public-excluded meeting last August.
The provision of live streaming will be included in the upcoming draft long-term plan, meaning the community can have their say on the subject.