Rodney Local Board finally opens doors on closed workshops

Rodney Local Board has voted to open up previously confidential workshops to the public and media for a six-month trial starting from July 21. Up to now, while local board meetings have been open to the public, workshops where Auckland Council staff brief members on upcoming reports and agenda items have always been held behind closed doors. Although done in the spirit of saving time, this practice has led to some matters being effectively ‘rubber-stamped’ by the time they reach the monthly board meetings, with little or no discussion or debate on sometimes important or controversial issues. H...