Covid 19 Delta Outbreak: Bay of Plenty councils grapple with face masks, social distancing

It may be some time before Rotorua Lakes Council returns to physical meetings with staff, elected members and public like those here, pictured in 2015. Photo / NZME

It could be another two months before some Bay of Plenty councils return to face-to-face meetings that members of the public can attend.

This is despite Covid-19 alert level 2 restrictions allowing councils the ability to hold physical meetings in chambers or elsewhere while adhering to social distancing and face-covering guidelines.

While Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Rotorua Lakes Council, and Kawerau District Council have returned to physical meetings in chambers - under level 2 guidelines - Whakatāne District Council, Ōpotiki District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council maintain a virtual presence.

Most councils livestream meetings and all publish a recording of the meetings on their website or YouTube afterward.

A screenshot of a virtual Bay of Plenty Regional Council public transport committee meeting held last month. Image / YouTube

Regional council governance manager Yvonne Tatton said continuing to hold meetings via Zoom in level 2 protected elected members, staff and the public. Plus the mandatory wearing of face masks had become problematic.

"We have found this does not assist clear communication, particularly when live-streamed," Tatton said.

In March last year, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act was amended in response to the Covid-19 outbreak to enable local government to meet virtually. Recordings of these meetings must be published online to ensure democratic transparency. This legislation remains in place until December 19.

Tatton said while some councillors had returned to council offices to attend meetings, "we have chosen not to open these up to the public ... due to restrictions around meeting sizes".

"We will revisit this situation should the alert levels change."

Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Rotorua Lakes Council, and Kawerau District Council have all returned to meetings in chambers. Masked members of the public can attend meetings in Tauranga and the Western Bay councils but Rotorua and Kawerau councils restrict public access under level 2, allowing media in only.

It may be some time before Rotorua Lakes Council returns to physical meetings with staff, elected members and public like those here, pictured in 2015. Photo / NZME

Rotorua's deputy chief executive district leadership and democracy Oonagh Hopkins said the council returned to physical meetings on September 7 but these were closed to the public due to community cases of Covid-19 outside of Auckland.

Western Bay customer service and governance manager Barbara Whitton said the council returned to in-person meetings on September 23. Like Tauranga's council, this included allowing limited numbers of masked members of the public to allow for social distancing.

Whitton said the council had been guided by elected members and their level of comfort in being together.

"We are at the stage where most of them are present in council chambers for most meetings and workshops and if feeling unwell, attend virtually."

Shared tables and equipment were wiped down between every speaker during meetings, she said.

Tauranga City Council returned to chambers for meetings on September 13.

General manager of people and engagement Susan Jamieson said face-to-face meetings were preferred but the council enabled people taking part to attend remotely. It also limited the number of staff present in meetings "whenever possible".

Kawerau District Council returned to meetings in chambers on September 14, without the public due to social distancing limitations. However, when the council held its representation review hearing and a deliberation meeting, it moved to a larger venue to allow the community to attend and speak.

Sites such as this meeting of Tauranga City Council in 2020, before a commission was appointed, are no longer as local government grapples with meetings in level 2. Photo / NZME

A council spokeswoman said it returned to physical meetings in level 2 "with the view that it can conduct business more efficiently face to face".

Whakatāne District Council staff and elected members continue to hold meetings via Zoom.

Manager of governance services Cindy Butt said the decision was made in agreement "having experienced the challenges of maintaining two-metre distancing and mandatory wearing of face coverings, which made the public meeting process very difficult to enable effective participation".

Butt said people wanting to attend Zoom meetings could do so and recordings of the meetings were published online.

Ōpotiki District Council chief executive Aileen Lawrie said the council also continued with Zoom meetings "as our chambers can only hold a few people with social distancing". While the public and media can use the Zoom link, the meetings are not livestreamed "although we are looking at how best to make that possible".

The council covered a large area and Lawrie said the council had experienced slightly higher participation and media engagement with digital meetings which was encouraging.

Local Government New Zealand president Stuart Crosby. Photo / NZME

"However, nothing quite replaces in-person conversation and engagement, so we are keeping a close eye on guidance from [the] government so we can get back to them when it is safe to do so."

Local Government New Zealand president Stuart Crosby said councils had been working hard to ensure the democratic process was maintained "in challenging conditions" but they needed "clear, concise protocols".

"What we are looking for from a national perspective is further guidance ... particularly with the traffic light system coming, to ensure councils continue to operate under their legal [obligations]."

Crosby said these concerns had been relayed to the Government and he was hopeful some guidance would come soon.

Under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act, every meeting of a local authority should be open to the public either physically, virtually or both.

Alert level 2 rules state indoor events can allow a maximum of 100 people in a defined space. The 100-person limit does not include staff.