Council has supported a change in meeting process to make committee workshops open to the public.

The Ombudsman’s 2025 audit report on the Marlborough District Council released in July contained recommendations regarding workshops and briefings.

This was part of a regular programme of work undertaken by the Office of the Ombudsman to review local authority compliance with the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

At today’s full Council meeting, councillors approved the recommendation that committee workshops be open to the public unless the chairperson of that committee, or the mayor, determine the public should be excluded for a reason such as commercial sensitivity or legal privilege.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said this approach was consistent with most other councils around New Zealand.

“The Ombudsman’s audit report overall was complimentary about our Council’s processes but identified some areas where we could better support notification, transparency and record-keeping. The change agreed to by Council today addresses this,” she said.

“As a Council and as elected members, we are committed to meeting processes which promote openness, transparency and public participation in local government decision making. This change supports that.

“It better aligns us as a Council with the Ombudsman’s expectations and strengthens openness and public confidence in governance. However, the Ombudsman also acknowledged in his recommendations that there will be situations where it is reasonable to close a workshop to the public and this will always be assessed carefully on a case-by-case basis,” Mayor Taylor said.

The procedure adopted regarding Council workshops is as follows:

• Committee workshops will be open to the public by default, unless the chairperson or mayor determines that the session should be public excluded for a reason consistent with LGOIMA
• Topics for discussion will be published on Council’s website prior to the workshop
• No decisions are made at workshops
• Members of the public may attend in person or remotely via MS Teams
• A summary record of the workshop will be published on Council’s website, except where the session is held as public excluded

Informal briefings, used as a forum for information exchange where no decisions are made, will remain closed to the public with accurate internal record keeping required to ensure compliance with LGOIMA and the Public Records Act 2005.

Councillors also approved the council and committee governance structure and terms of reference at the meeting. This reflects the purpose, scope and authority of Council’s governance structure.

These terms of reference will be published on Council’s website early in the new year. Changes will take effect from March 2026.

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