Waipā District councillor, Roger Gordon is calling for urgent changes to restore transparency and accountability at Waipā District Council, following growing concern about how decisions are being made and reported.
Roger Gordon – 2025
“Councillors should not have to file LGOIMA requests just to see information we need to do our job,” Gordon said. “Ratepayers expect openness, not secrecy.”
Recent governance changes replaced quarterly public reports with a private “On the Radar” update, moved meetings to dates that reduce local media coverage, and increased reliance on public-excluded sessions. Gordon says this has weakened both accountability and public trust.
See: On the Radar – a veil of secrecy?
“Workshops are now being used as de facto decision-making meetings, without public notice, without minutes, and without lawful resolutions to exclude the public. That is not what the law intends and it fuels the perception that council is shutting people out.”
Gordon is calling for:
- A Return to Tuesday as the predominant meeting day
- Quarterly performance reports to be reinstated in open meetings;
- Workshop summaries (attendance and topics discussed) to be published;
- Stricter limits on public-excluded sessions;
- Elected member-only forums to be reinstated so councillors can speak freely.
“People are telling me every day they no longer trust the way council makes decisions. Many election candidates are standing on exactly this issue. If we don’t fix it, the community will force the change for us.”
