This way OR that way The electric train launch for the Onehunga Line can be rated a success despite some issues picked by Radio New Zealand recently. Looking at … Continue reading Auckland Transport Lowering Patronage Targets Again
Tag: Auckland Council
Your Usual Rates Rises
Average 2.6% increase in your rates On Thursday the Auckland Council Budget Committee will be working through the motions of passing the Annual Plan 2014/2015 budget document. My Budget Committee … Continue reading Your Usual Rates Rises
Budget Committee Agenda Out
Council getting ready to approve next step in 2014/2015 Annual Plan Today the Auckland Council (finally) released the Budget Committee agenda for this month. This particular session of the … Continue reading Budget Committee Agenda Out
Southern Auckland and Manukau – An Omnibus #2
A Recap Series The Manukau Super Metropolitan Centre Time to do some recaps of a few posts I have done on Southern Auckland and both its urban development … Continue reading Southern Auckland and Manukau – An Omnibus #2
Southern Auckland and Manukau – An Omnibus
A Recap Series Why the South needs the Manukau Rail South Link Time to do some recaps of a few posts I have done on Southern Auckland and … Continue reading Southern Auckland and Manukau – An Omnibus
White Water Rafting Will Always be a Bad Decision
But Manukau as a Tourism spot? I can see that happening I am of two minds on the Stuff article that mentions the White Water Rafting facility, and the … Continue reading White Water Rafting Will Always be a Bad Decision
So Where Will the Children Play?
A Good Question Where will the children play as Auckland grows both outwards and upwards? A long fraught and vexing question that has elected representatives, residents and planners constantly … Continue reading So Where Will the Children Play?
Not Enough Commercial and Industrial Land?
Most Likely The Property Council recently commissioned a research project looking at the availability of commercial and industrial land under the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. As somewhat was expected … Continue reading Not Enough Commercial and Industrial Land?
Shape Auckland gets an Upgrade
Keeping pace with digital interactions The Shape Auckland website (which was the main portal to the Unitary Plan) has gone through an “upgrade” roping in all consultations, feedback rounds, and … Continue reading Shape Auckland gets an Upgrade
Live Beaming of Council Meetings Going Out for Tender
Able to see some of the Council meetings on the Internet – live – again
After the Council last year switched off the high-speed wireless that would disable the video service All About Auckland being able to stream Council meetings live, Auckland Council has finally put out a tender to resume live streaming. From Stuff.co.nz:
Auckland Council to beam live
LAURA WALTERS Last updated 13:55 23/04/2014
The Auckland Council plans to run a live webcast of 57 of its council meetings each year in a bid to increase transparency and raise awareness of the decision-making process.
The council has called for expressions of interest from people who could provide services needed for a live webcast of meetings.
In its information document, the council said it planned to provide a live webcast to make the political process more transparent, increase awareness of the decision-making process, reduce reliance on the media and recognise the increased size and impact of the council in New Zealand and the accompanying need to perform at a world-class level.
The webcasts would initially cover meetings of the mayor and 20 councillors and meetings of four committees.
The committees are the Auckland development committee, the finance and performance committee, the budget committee and the regional strategy and policy committee.
The average duration of each meeting was four hours, the council said.
Council spokesman Glyn Walters said the council had been planning to offer the webcasts since the council was set up in 2010.
…….
So the five meetings this live streaming is meant to cover are:
- The Governing Body (so the main Council itself) chaired by the Mayor
- The Budget Committee also chaired by the Mayor
- The Auckland Development Committee chaired by Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse
- The Strategy and Policy Committee chaired by Councillor George Wood
- The Finance and Performance Committee chaired by Councillor Penny Webster
The sub committees and forums that report back to the main committees above will not be beamed live on the Internet.
It will be good to have the live beaming restored after All About Auckland’s live streaming was dropped last year when the Council turned off the high-speed wireless inside the main Council Chambers. Yes the live beaming does allow more people across Auckland to watch and witness both the Governing Body, and the Committees of the Whole in action. The restoring of live beaming also allows people like myself to run live Tweeting and live Blogging when we are not able to make the Committees ourselves for whatever reason. And yes live Tweeting from the Governing Body and the Committees is (as I discovered) quite a popular service for people who either can not watch the video or be at the Council meeting.
I did notice this one liner from the Stuff article: “the council said it planned to provide a live webcast to make the political process more transparent, increase awareness of the decision-making process, reduce reliance on the media and recognise the increased size and impact of the council in New Zealand.”
Reduce the reliance on the media. Hmm the media are typically only at the Governing Body meetings and periodically maybe at the Budget Committee meetings. Otherwise it is just usually me and veteran reporter Bob Dey casting a very lonely presence at the media table while the Budget Committee, and Auckland Development Committee (both the most important committees after the Governing Body itself) meet and deliberate (with Bob also usually at the Strategy and Policy, and Finance and Performance Committees). So I do wonder if Council is having a go at a particular journalist or in a roundabout way trying to increase the visibility of the Committees.
None-the-less I doubt the Main Stream Media outlets will increase their reporting from Council even when the live beaming resumes. So it will be back down to the blogs and other social media outlets to help continuing to spread the word and provide commentary that would otherwise be absent.
Suppose we will have to wait and see how the tendering of this new beaming (streaming) service will go and whether the live streaming will be free.
