Keeping an eye on things at The News. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: Pexels.com
Roy Pilott
As we emerge from the shadow of an epidemic and endure cost of living rises, one thing is certain in 2024 – councils around the country, including Waipā, will announce major rate increases.
Waipā’s proposed 38.9 per cent cumulative rate rise over three years had, it seems, by Christmas Eve gone up – but who knows by how much?
The News will be there to report on it, any developments, to analyse the decisions and to question them.
In Waipā the role of your community newspaper has never been more important. The digital age provides a level of immediacy – but it also enables organisations to “control the narrative”.
Last year it became evident that senior Waipā council staff were uncomfortable with the level of scrutiny they faced from The News, and particularly our senior writer Mary Anne Gill.
Mary Anne Gill
The council effectively camouflaged two significant meetings last month – ensuring Gill learned of them only when the council released its “news” release straight after the meetings.
That month we also asked questions about a meeting agenda and whether there were caveats on a building. The council filed them under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act – stalling our efforts to bring you answers until the end of January.
The council maintains it has no obligation to tell media when it is meeting and that information is made available on its website, thus fulfilling its statutory requirements. That may be true – but it is a significant change in how it sees its relationship with The News.
It also comes at a time when, with satisfaction levels in the council having fallen every year since 2016, its own communications budget may be expanded to take on such things as taking over part of the functions i-Sites in both Te Awamutu and Cambridge currently undertake. That could come at the cost of existing jobs.
An open council strives to ensure its people are kept aware of what it is doing. That involves a lot more than putting a notice up on a website.
Community newspapers not relevant anymore?
Let’s see.
