Public participation practices of local authorities: a case study of Hutt City Council

Abstract

One of the cornerstones of democracy is the ability of citizens to have a say in decisions that affect them. Traditionally this ability has been exercised through the electoral process, however during the 20th century there has been a push for greater involvement in decisions through other means. In New Zealand this resulted in the inclusion of requirements for local authorities to "consult" prior to making a decision on significant issues. The legislative requirements for local authorities to involve the public in decision-making have recently increased with the passing of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA 2002). This research used a series of key principles, drawn from the literature and legislation (including the LGA 2002), to assess the public participation practices of local authorities. These key principles were used as a yardstick against which to measure the performance of local authorities. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from Hutt City Council officers about the practices of a number of council divisions. This information was supplemented by interviews with stakeholder groups and from relevant documentation, to form a picture of the participation practices of the whole council. The results of this study show that participation practices are not uniform across the whole council, but that council officers have an understanding of the concepts behind each of the seven key principles. The council has recently adopted a consultation policy that it is anticipated will standardise the level of performance of individual council divisions, and lead to improved participation practices.