Members of the public are welcome to attend Council and Committee meetings, most meetings are held in Council Chambers on Level 2 of the Civic Building , 838 - 842 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt. Please allow time to sign into the Civic Building and be seated in Chambers 10 minutes before the meeting starts. Please note if you are exiting the building after 5.00 pm you will exit to the car park at the rear of the Civic Building.
The Council and Committee meeting schedule has the latest information about our meetings. Council and committee meetings are also livestreamed on our YouTube channel. All Council and committee meetings are open to the public, some items may be withheld from public discussion, these are listed under public excluded business on the agenda alongside the specific grounds for the passing of the resolution.
If you have any accessibility needs please email Governance@uhcc.govt.nz or call 04 527 2169.
Complete the online form at the link below to make a request to speak at a Council or committee meeting. If you have any questions or comments about Council meetings please email Governance@uhcc.govt.nz.
Request to speak at a meeting
The first 30 minutes of each meeting is usually available for Public Forum, in which members of the public will have the opportunity to speak for up to five minutes on any matter falling within the particular meeting’s terms of reference. Anybody wishing to speak should let us know preferably no later than midday of the working day before the meeting.
On the day of the meeting please arrive 15 minutes before the meeting is due to start.
You are welcome to make a presentation (it would be helpful for staff if you could email this to Governance@uhcc.govt.nz by midday, of the working day before the meeting), provide handouts or table any supporting information. If you intend to do any of the above please get in touch with the Governance team as soon as possible.
Please note, anything presented to the meeting will become part of the public record of the meeting and attached to the minutes. The minutes of the meeting, are the official public record and may contain your name, the item you spoke to, and any information presented.
Members of the public are only permitted to speak during the 30 minute public forum which is at the start of the meeting, after some initial housekeeping and meeting procedures are completed.
When it is your time to speak, the Chair will call you up to a space at the end of the table for you to address the meeting. A bell will sound after four minutes and again at five minutes to indicate that your time has expired. Members, with permission of the Chair, may ask questions of speakers. Questions are to be confined to obtaining information or clarification on matters raised by a speaker. It is important not to interrupt the Chair or members when they are speaking. Once you have finished speaking, please return to your seat where you can continue to observe the meeting. You are welcome to leave at any time, but the Chair will announce when the meeting closes and you will be asked to leave Chambers if there is public excluded business on the agenda.
It’s important to note that your name, the item that you spoke to and any information that you present will be included in the official record of the meeting, referred to as the Minutes. You cannot ask elected members to keep the information you present confidential.
Public forums are a defined period of time, usually at the start of an ordinary meeting, which, at the discretion of a meeting, is put aside for the purpose of public input.
In the case of a committee or subcommittee any issue, idea or matter raised in the public forum must fall within the terms of reference of that body.
A period of up to 30 minutes, or such longer time as the meeting may determine, will be available for the public forum at each scheduled local authority meeting which is open to the public. Each speaker during the public forum section of a meeting may speak for up to five minutes. No more than two speakers can speak on behalf of an organisation.
Where the number of speakers presenting in the public forum exceeds 6 in total, the Chairperson has discretion to restrict the speaking time permitted for all presenters.
The Chairperson has the discretion to decline to hear a speaker or to terminate a presentation at any time where:
- A speaker is repeating views presented by an earlier speaker at the same public forum;
- The speaker is criticising elected members and/or staff;
- The speaker is being repetitious, disrespectful or offensive;
- The speaker has previously spoken on the same issue;
- The matter is subject to legal proceedings; and
- The matter is subject to a hearing, including the hearing of submissions where the local authority or committee sits in a quasi-judicial capacity.
At the conclusion of the presentation, with the permission of the Chairperson, elected members may ask questions of speakers. Questions are to be confined to obtaining information or clarification on matters raised by the speaker.
Following the public forum no debate or decisions will be made at the meeting on issues raised during the forum unless related to items already on the agenda.
(Reference: Section 15 of Standing Orders)
Agendas will be available at least two clear working days before the scheduled meeting. Minutes will be available around five working days after the meeting. Meeting records are available for for inspection at the following offices Council Reception, Upper Hutt Central Library, and Pinehaven Library.
You can also search for Meeting agendas and minutes on our website.
Governance Advisors support the meeting to ensure the democratic process is followed. This includes:
- Acting as a liaison between members of the public attending the meeting and the chairperson if required
- Advising the chair on meeting procedures and recording the decisions
- Acting as a channel of communication between the reporting staff member and the chairperson
- Ensuring any technology requirements are met
If you have any questions or comments about Council meetings please email the governance team Governance@uhcc.govt.nz.
The legal framework for establishing and administering Council meetings is set out in Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA), Part 7 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).
All Councils are required to adopt Standing Orders(PDF, 2MB) that enable local authorities to exercise their decision-making responsibilities in a transparent, inclusive and lawful manner. Standing Orders contain rules for the conduct of the proceedings of the Local Authority, committees, subcommittees and subordinate decision-making bodies. All members of a local authority must abide by the Standing Orders.
Members of the public may make a recording of meetings open to the public. Any recording of meetings must be notified to the Chairperson at the commencement of the meeting to ensure the recording does not distract the meeting and to allow other members of the public in attendance at the meeting to be notified. The Chairperson may request to stop the recording at any time.
If you have any questions or comments about Council meetings please email Governance@uhcc.govt.nz.