Email agendas make sense

A major glitch in the postal delivery of agendas for the September board meeting of the Automobile Association's Northland branch may have nudged members in the direction of electronic agendas, although the idea previously went down like a lead balloon, says chairman Howeth Mountain.

The agendas arrived six days after being posted in Whangarei and a day after the September meeting, through no fault of New Zealand Post.

The cost of postage went up in July but the agendas were sent out at the old rates, as was the August mail-out.

Mr Mountain has wanted to introduce electronic agendas for some time and plans to raise the issue again, despite the fact that the October mail-out with corrected postage arrived the day after it was posted in the Whangarei CBD.

"The issue has been dead in the water until now, but electronic agendas have got to be the way forward," Mr Mountain said.

Posting the agendas online would streamline administration, save time and money and along with conference calling make it easier for people in far-flung districts to serve on the board, he said.

Actual meetings would only need to be held twice a year.

New Zealand Post says short-paid mail is set aside during the daily rush of sorting - more than two million pieces of mail a day - and processed on the next working day. This would have been been a Friday or a Monday, which is why the September meeting (held on Tuesday, September 18) had no agenda.

The AA got away with short postage the first month after rates went up, when it was delivery as usual, but not the following month.

Members would probably be given paper to print out the agenda at home if they wanted to make notes on an agenda on paper, or didn't have laptops or iPads .

Northland's biggest local authority, the Northland Regional Council (NRC), has recently smoothly adopted electronic agendas, but printed agendas are still an option.

Linda Stansfield, NRC general manager, CEO office & projects, says electronic agendas were efficient and helped cut costs.

"Not everybody likes it, but most people find it works for them. In fact they love it. They get the agenda instantly, with new iPad technology they can make notes on the on-line agendas, and we don't have to print, bind and post them."

All councillors were entitled to a communications allowance by order of the Remuneration Authority and could use this to buy an iPad or a laptop for meetings.