Excluding the public

All formal meetings are open to the public however, there are some parts of the meeting where the public can be excluded.

Council has to provide a good reason if they wish to exclude the public from a Council or committee meeting - this also includes the media.

A resolution must be made at a time when the meeting is open to the public stating the general subject of each matter, the reason for passing that resolution in relation to the matter, and the grounds on which the resolution is based.

Resolutions to exclude the public are made under Section 48 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.

Reasons for ‘public excluded’ parts of a meeting include:

• Disclosing trade secrets.
• Prejudicing the maintenance of the law (including the right to a fair trial).
• Protecting the privacy of any person.
• Commercial confidentiality or legal privilege.

Public excluded agenda and minutes are not available to the public. 

Where possible, Council will release public information which has been considered during the public excluded part of a meeting.