Citizens’ Panels in New Zealand

7/28/2019 Citizens Panels in New Zealand

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Citizens Panels in

New ZealandThe use of Citizens Panels as an effective consultation

tool by Local Government in New Zealand

This paper supports the use of Citizens Panels as a consultation tool for local government. It

summarises the legislative context for consultation, and the way in which councils currently meet their

obligations to consult the community. It describes the concept ofa Citizens Panel, and the

advantages of using a Panel. The paper concludes with a case study of the Citizens Panel

developed by Palmerston North City Council.


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Citizens Panels in New Zealand

Citizen Panels 1 www.publicvoice.co.nz

List of contents

Page

Executive summary 1

About PublicVoice 3

Local government consultation requirements and practice 4

The legislative requirements 4

New Zealand councilscurrent community consultation

techniques

4

Problems with current consultation methods 5

What is a Citizens Panel? 8

Benefits of using a Citizens Panel as a consultation tool 9

Increase public engagement with councils 9

Access the hard to reach 9

Faster and more cost effective than traditional consultation

techniques

10

Access the silent majority 10

Incorporate research from alternative community stakeholders 10

Citizens Panel case study - Palmerston North City Council 12

The situation 12

The solution 13

The outcomes 13

Citizens Panels FAQ 15

References 16


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Executive summary

PublicVoice has produced this paper with the purpose of explaining the concept and advantages ofCitizens Panels to local government in New Zealand.

Councils are legally required to consult with their communities; it also makes good sense to. There are,

however, a number of problems with how New Zealand councils currently do this. The tried and tested

methods fail to engage significant groups within the community. Over a third of the population have

said that they are unlikely to express their views to

their local council, many citing reasons such as

not being bothered or not having enough time.

The conventional consultation methods of

requiring people to attend meetings, or to beproactive in seeking information and making

submissions, all of which take time to do, are

simply a further constraint to people giving their

views. Current practices enable the vocal

minority to contribute while the silent majority

and hard to access groups within the community

are disengaged and ignored. Because of this,

there is a real concern that consultation feedback,

on which councils base important decisions, is not

representative of the wider community.

A Citizens Panel is a group of people selected from the community, with whom a council regularly

consults on a range of issues. Care can be taken to ensure that Panel membership is representative,

and that people are interested in participating. It is possible, through rigorous selection methods, to

focus on and engage with traditionally hard to reach groups. Panel consultation can be carried out

online, making it simple and quick for Panel members to be involved. Online Panels, in particular, are

very effective at engaging people who have not previously participated in local government

consultation. Regular interaction with Panels encourages feedback, and provides councils with useful

and relevant information to make good quality decisions. It is also easier to collaborate with other

community organisations when there is a need to consult on wider issues.

Palmerston North City Council became concerned about the validity of its consultation exercises and

subsequent feedback. The Council wanted to know the views of the silent majority, and capture

feedback at an early stage, to ensure good service provision. The Council commissioned an online

PublicVoice Citizens Panel that was representative of the community. This Panel has been regularly

consulted on a wide range of issues. Over 80% of Panel members are engaged and interested in

participating.

Citizens Panels are an effective tool for local councils to consult with the local community. Panels


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provide councils with valid community feedback, and enable councils to make informed decisions.

About PublicVoice

PublicVoice is a Wellington-based market research company,

providing research solutions for a variety of local, national and

international organisations. We provide the full breadth of

research services and specialise in developing research

communities.

Our company helps New Zealand organisations gain valuable insight into the thoughts and opinions of

New Zealanders; information that enables those organisations to make smart decisions. We have

developed strong relationships with Local Government, the Education Sector and Industry Associationsto fulfil research and public consultation requirements.

Key clients that we have worked with include:

Palmerston North City Council

Manawatu District Council

Urbanplus

Hutt City Council

University of Otago

University of Auckland

Education New ZealandWith a strong focus on public consultation, PublicVoice understand that councils are answerable to their

communities, and they understand the necessity for consultation methodologies to withstand public

scrutiny while offering cost-effectiveness.


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Local government - consultation requirements and practice

Before considering the concept of a Citizens Panel in more detail, it is useful to summarise the rules

that councils work within when consulting with the community, and identify what councils presently do

to meet those requirements. This provides a framework for understanding how the Citizens Panel

model adds value to what councils currently do.

The legislative requirements

The Local Government Act (2002) requires local

authorities to consider the views of affected or

interested people when making decisions, and to

consult the community. In defining principles forconsultation, the Act makes clear that councils should

actively encourage people to contribute their views,

and that people should be able to give those views in

a way that is appropriate for their needs. Aside from

being a legislative necessity, it simply makes good

sense for local authorities to enter into dialogue with

people who are affected by council decisions.

While the Local Government Act requires that

consultation takes place, it does not stipulate what

general consultation practices must look like. Overtime, accepted norms have developed in the ways that councils in New Zealand have consulted with

their constituents.

Documents

Citizens’ Panels in New Zealand