FAQs
- the city (district) or region
- anyone likely to be particularly affected or interested
- the capacity of the local authority to perform its role, and the financial and other costs of doing so.
- significant or material variations/departures from the financial statements or funding impact statement in the long-term plan
- significant new spending proposals, and the associated costs, or
- substantial delays to, or cancellation of, significant projects, and associated implications.
What changes are being made to the bylaws and policies?
The changes being made to the bylaws and policies are summarised in the table below. For more information, please see the attached Statement of Proposal.
Bylaw/Policy | Proposed Action |
Alcohol Control Bylaw 2018 | Only minor changes are proposed. This involves updating outdated references and maps where needed. |
Water Supply Bylaw 2019 | Minor changes. Update outdated references where needed. |
General Bylaw 1991 (Part 9 Reserves Bylaw) | Minor changes. Update outdated references where needed. |
Transport Bylaw 2021
| Minor change to the way Council consults the community on a proposed amendment to the bylaw to make the process more streamlined. The public will still be provided 14 days to share their feedback, including any objections on proposed changes. |
Litter Infringement Policy 2019 | Minor changes to the fees for littering offences requiring infringement fees. The proposed change will mean that the infringement fee for depositing litter from one to 20 litres by volume, will increase from $200 to $300. The infringement fee for depositing litter from 20 to 120 litres by volume or depositing any litter in a Council Park or reserve, will also increase from $300 to $350.
Update outdated references where needed. |
Dangerous, Affected and Insanitary Buildings Policy 2020 | Minor changes. Added detail about how dangerous and insanitary buildings are managed in an emergency and update outdated references where needed. |
How do we determine what's significant?
Section 5 of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act) describes “significance” as the degree of importance of any issue, proposal, decision, or matter, as assessed by the local authority, in terms of its likely impact on, and consequences for:
Section 5 also describes “significant” as any issue, proposal, decision, or other matter having a “high degree of significance, that is:
The Council is required to have a significance and engagement policy under Section 76AA of the Local Government Act 2002. The Policy is reviewed every three years as part of long-term plans.
Significance is more than a financial impact, and often items with low value but that have high public interest can be significant.
Significance is ultimately determined by the elected members – find out more here
What’s the difference between formal consultation and engagement?
Consultation involves receiving public feedback on proposals, and is one form of engagement. The Council regularly consults communities through process such as the long-term plan, which determine Council’s strategic direction, as well as how it sets budgets and prioritises projects.
The Council will consult with the community about significant decisions following the principles set out in Section 82 of the Act. The Council can also decide to consult at any time on a decision, where it considers that appropriate. For most Council decisions, there is no express requirement to consult the public, but we will consider people’s views and preferences.
Engagement is a broader and ongoing process of sharing information with the community and seeking its feedback, with the purpose of involving the community in the process of decision making. This may or may not include a more formal consultation process.
What if I have feedback for the Council?
We are happy to receive feedback at any time throughout the year, not just at annual plan time. Please get in touch if you want to share your ideas, have some positive feedback about our staff, or have something you are not so happy about here.
How else can I give feedback throughout the year?
We have an online community panel Our Porirua City with over 800 members of the Porirua community. The panel receives surveys every now and then about different issues or ideas. Sign up to our Community Panel 'Our Porirua City'