Private meetings reduced – slightly

took place in private committee sessions over the past two terms.

Sowman averaged 8.6 per cent and Leggett averaged 6.9 per cent.

The figures, requested under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, did not include the last full council meeting set down for Thursday.

But what does the public make of private meetings? We asked people (aka ratepayers, aka voters) on the streets of Picton.

Long-time Picton resident Aileen Walker said she was ‘‘happy’’ with the number of public excluded items, as she was ‘‘always confident’’ councillors were doing their best.

‘‘If there is something that has to be public excluded, then I am sure they have a good reason for it and ensure it is done sensibly.

‘‘We have to trust them,’’ she said. But Portal employee Lizzy Hore said the council could

always do better. ‘‘As ratepayers, we have the right to know what is going on at the council. We put them [councillors] in there, and it is our money that they are playing with,’’ she said.

Hore thought private meetings were only acceptable under certain circumstances, such as when an item could jeopardise a person’s privacy. Ngamahau Fishing owner Petrice Gledhill said she wanted the next generation of councillors, up for election in October, to be ‘‘more transparent, open and honest’’.

Employment issues, wastewater systems and cemetery reservations were among the 172 agenda items discussed behind closed doors in the past six years.

Leggett said the council was ‘‘on track’’ with the target set in this year’s annual plan – to keep at least 90 per cent of items open to the public.

‘‘For people to say that all

items should be open to the public totally misunderstand what we are trying to achieve in those [private] meetings,’’ he said.

Property transactions and insurance issues were some of the most common topics talked about out of public earshot, the data showed. The report showed the highest public excluded rate occurred in July and early August this year, with five of 35 agenda items held in private.

A flick through of meeting reports showed another seven private meetings were held in late August and September, after Stuff requested the figures.

Closed meetings came under the microscope in late 2016 when a recording of a private council meeting was leaked to media.

Local Government NZ principal policy adviser Mike Reid said the number of publicly excluded meetings a council could hold was limited by law.