Councils move into emergency mode

Local Government New Zealand is seeking an urgent amendment to legislation to allow councils to form a quorum even when councillors are working remotely.

Currently, the Local Government Act requires that councils need to have at least half of the members physically present in chambers to meet the quorum requirements for an ordinary council meeting.

However, given the restrictions on movement amid the coronavirus pandemic, LGNZ will ask the Government to amend the legislation.

‘‘We are working with central Government on an amendment to quorum requirements, but the details on that haven’t been finalised yet,’’ an LGNZ spokesman said.

In the meantime, South Canterbury’s territorial authorities are taking measures to ensure council meetings can take place in a cut-down fashion.

Timaru District councillors established an emergency committee on Monday, cutting the quorum down to two councillors and the mayor, and increasing chief executive Bede Carran’s emergency spending authority from $750,000 to $2 million.

Carran must immediately report any such expenditure, irrespective of the amount, to the emergency committee.

A report to the council says it might become increasingly difficult, or impossible, for the council to meet quorum requirements.

Carran said the local government sector was working closely with the Department of Internal Affairs to resolve this issue.

‘‘It is expected that the emergency committee will largely address decisions which may be required as a result of this unfolding crisis, and council’s standing committees will continue to transact other ‘business as usual’,’’ Carran said.

It was an evolving situation, he said. ‘‘Council needs to remain nimble, and be able to continue to make decisions and transact our core functions in a legislatively compliant way.’’

Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen said the emergency committee would allow the council to carry on with important business during the lockdown.

‘‘Hopefully, we can have as many of the councillors as possible join in, even if they are working remotely,’’ Bowen said.

He expected this format to remain in place for at least the next four weeks.

Waimate District mayor Craig Rowley said councillors met yesterday morning and formed an emergency committee.

Rowley, deputy mayor Sharyn Cain and district councillors Fabia Fox and Miriam Morton would now have the authority to make decisions without a full quorum of council, Rowley said.

All council meetings had been cancelled and the emergency committee would take over until further notice, he said.

Mackenzie District mayor Graham Smith said it had cancelled all council and committee meetings until May, although councillors would be keeping in touch with each other remotely through Zoom.

Chief executive Suzette van Aswegen would be given delegated authority to ensure important council business carries on.

‘‘The health and wellbeing of our people is foremost,’’ Smith said.