Carterton councillors. Photo: LDR / Emily Ireland
The ombudsman has faced fierce criticism from some Carterton councillors over his recommendations for councils to open workshops to the public.
In a recent meeting, one councillor said it was "only one person's opinion" while another suggested the ombudsman "might have a God complex".
The office of chief ombudsman Peter Boshier declined to comment on the specific criticisms.
Photo:
Discussions around the Carterton District Council table last week were welcomed by mayor Ron Mark, who supported opening workshops to the public.
Holding closed workshops could create a perception in the community "that we are trying to hide something which we're not", Mark said.
In October, Boshier released a number of recommendations following an investigation into council holding secret meetings.
He recommended workshops should be open to the public by default to reduce the perception that decisions were being made behind closed doors.
"Elected members should be resilient enough to withstand reasonable public scrutiny. It is the job they are elected to do," Boshier said at the time.
Councillor Brian Deller said he was concerned by the Ombudsman's recommendations, and people could join the council's advisory groups for more detail on decision-making.
"The ombudsman is only one person's opinion, as I see it," he said.
Mark quickly interjected that Boshier was "an officer of Parliament".
Councillor Robyn Cherry-Campbell suggested "he [Boshier] might have a God complex".
She later said having open workshops may discourage elected members from asking questions of clarification and may be a barrier for newly elected members who were still learning the ropes.
Deputy mayor Dale Williams said councils must balance the desire to be efficient while also meeting the public's expectations that "we are acting with integrity".
"I'm sure we'll find that spot but hopefully we don't create another layer of inefficiencies to what we do because there is plenty of that already."
He suggested the decision could result in some councils holding "pre-workshop workshops".
Many of Boshier's expectations have already been met by CDC.
When it comes to workshops, CDC would look to publish a list of workshop topics and note if workshops were open or closed to the public.
High-level minutes from workshops would be made available to the public but the workshops would not be live-streamed.
Mark said it was good to see the council making "pragmatic steps to show that we are listening" to the Ombudsman's recommendations.
Recording high-level minutes of the discussions would "go a long way in placating people's fears and concerns", he said.
People who watched the council meeting get to see a debate and take confidence that two sides have been discussed, he said.
"That's what they elect you for. They want to hear that. Workshops, they don't hear that at all.
"They want to hear the argument and debate across options and [not doing that] generates the perception that we're doing stuff behind closed doors."
He said the ombudsman's recommendations had "advantages and disadvantages" but the findings had been made and the council was obliged to follow them.
The ombudsman's recommendations are not legally binding, but carry a great deal of weight among public-sector officials and managers, he said.
The Office of the Ombudsman "respectfully declined" to comment.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
