Transparency bid lost, workshops off-limits

The door for better transparency at the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board peeked open briefly at the board’s last meeting. But it was quickly slammed shut again.

Board member David Cooper moved to allow residents to attend the board’s workshops, where many decisions were determined ahead of official business meetings, he said.

‘‘For some time now I have felt very uncomfortable, almost embarrassed, at the fact we have closed door workshops.’’

A report from the council’s legal department showed concern for some of the board’s practices and gave them the option allow the residents to attend workshops, but still exclude them from confidential matters, he said.

With seven of eight board member’s campaign slogans in last year’s election being People and Penlink First or People Over Politics, Cooper said he found it ironic they‘d exclude people from deliberations.

Member Caitlin Watson supported the motion.

She said, if she was a member of the public, she would be startled at the speed at which some of the board’s business meetings ran because discussions had already taken place.

With a survey last year showing 47 per cent of people didn’t trust Auckland Council to make the right decisions, Watson said opening the workshops was necessary to improve public perception. But Cooper’s People Over Politics running mates chairwoman Julia Parfitt and Gary Holmes didn’t agree.

Holmes said decisions weren’t made at workshops, but options were explored and free and frank discussions held.

Parfitt said she wasn’t against acting in a closed way and it was the standard practice of local board and council workshops.

The benefit was a chance to get an understanding of all the options and test and explore ideas without setting expectations for the public.

But Parfitt admitted workshop reports needed more detail added so people understood what options were explored.

Board members were split when voting on the motion. Cooper, Caitlin Watson, Vicki Watson and Mike Williamson supported the motion, while Parfitt, Holmes, Chris Bettany and Janet Fitzgerald voted against it. Parfitt used her casting vote to break the split and oppose it a second time.

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board member David Cooper’s move to allow residents to attend the board’s workshops was quashed.