Aurora reaffirms openness and presents own disclosure policy
DUNEDIN City Councilowned Aurora Energy says it is reaffirming its commitment to openness, months after it was suggested the company could be forced to comply with official information requests.
The Otago Daily Times reported earlier this year Aurora had begun exercising an exemption granted to electricity companies, allowing it to ignore official information requests.
Under the Local Government Act, electricity businesses were not covered by requests for information made under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.
Aurora had complied in the past because it was so closely associated with another councilowned company, Delta, but that changed after the two companies parted ways last year.
The change prompted expres sions of concern by former Delta worker Richard Healey, a vocal critic of Aurora’s pole replacement programme, and Cr Aaron Hawkins, who suggested the company could be compelled to comply.
Instead, at today’s full council meeting, councillors would consider a draft information disclosure policy put forward by Aurora.
The policy set out how the company would respond to requests for information not already disclosed, drawing heavily on the first two sections of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.
The policy gave the company up to 20 working days to respond, as well as the ‘‘legal, operational and practical’’ grounds by which it could decline to do so.
Anyone not happy with a response could seek a review by the company’s board, which would also report on responses publicly and to parent company Dunedin City Holdings Ltd.
DCHL could also ask Aurora to review any decision to withhold information.
Aurora chief executive Dr Richard Fletcher, responding to ODT questions, said the policy was not a compromise as the company was ‘‘very clear’’ in its commitment to transparency.
‘‘We, too, consider that stakeholders should have access to relevant information concerning our operations and the investments we are making on their behalf.’’
Aurora was also asked yesterday if the policy would change its approach to answering specific media questions.
Dr Fletcher said the new policy covered printed and electronic material, but the company would ‘‘continue to reply to media questions promptly’’ where possible.
‘‘Nothing in the draft policy changes our commitment to open engagement with news media,’’ he said.