This engagement has now closed, however you can still view all the information on this page. A final copy of the Significance and Engaement Policy will be shared in the Long Term Plan in July next year.
The Significance and Engagement Policy is being reviewed as part of the next Long Term Plan. Council’s operating environment has changed since the last review in 2018 and it needs to be refreshed to make it fit-for-purpose.
The economic situation has shifted, we have progressed our partnership with Mana Whenua and our communities expectation of engagement has changed. We want to make sure we meet these needs and expectations.
What is a Significance and Engagement Policy?
Hutt City Council is responsible for making decisions on behalf of Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt, and for engaging with the community on significant decisions. Under the Local Government Act 2002 all councils are required to have a policy that describes when we will engage, what is considered significant, and what our significant assets are.
What does council use this Policy for?
The role of the Significance and Engagement Policy is to set out council’s general approach to defining the significance of proposals and decisions in relation to issues, assets, and other matters.
The Policy has descriptions of different situations that are significant and require public engagement. These help to guide decision-makers to look at each situation and provide opportunities for the community to have their say and influence the decision.
We’ve summarised the main changes below:
- The ‘determining significance’ and ‘engagement’ sections of the policy have been reformatted to read as a table. This approach improves clarity and readability.
- The draft policy now contains a flowchart in the appendix showing a simplified way to determine the engagement approach according to the significance of the issue. This tool will help council officers with their decision-making.
- The draft policy now shares more details on engagement approaches with examples.
- Information has been added to the policy about the Special Consultative Procedure.
Our Significance and Engagement Policy in brief:
Contents
| What this means
|
|---|
Criteria that we use to assess potential decisions | Each piece of criteria is an important consideration that council uses to judge the significance of proposals and decisions. The amount of engagement depends on the significance of the matter.
The criteria are: - consistency with a prior decision
- recognition of Mana Whenua values and aspirations
- level of financial consequence
- transfer of ownership or control of strategic assets
- level of service provided by council and council's providers
- ability of a decision to be reversed
- level of public interest known to council
|
Table of examples for various levels of significant situations needing a decision | A table is used to illustrate how we would identify significant situations by giving examples for each piece of criteria. There are examples of situations for a low, moderate, or high degree of significance. This section helps decision-makers judge the significance of new proposals |
High-level decision-making flowchart | This flowchart gives a broad idea of how decision-making works at council. A high-level guide like this simplifies the concept of decision-making, while more detail can be found in other sections of the policy. |
List of our strategic assets | Strategic assets are owned and controlled by council. These assets affect the wellbeing and daily activities of everyone in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt. The assets are: - transport network
- wastewater and treatment network
- stormwater network
- water supply network
- landfills
- parks and reserves
- The Dowse Art Museum and Petone Settlers Museum collections
- Neighbourhood Hubs and library services
If council was to make a major decision that affected any of these assets' ownership or ability to operate, this would be a highly significant subject that would require community input. Small decisions, such as hiring a new staff member or acquiring equipment to operate, would not require community input. |
On the right of this page we have provided a Glossary to give an explanation of some of the technical terms used in the policy.
View a full copy of the Draft Significance and Engagement Policy 2024-2034 here.
View the current Significance and Engagement Policy 2021-2031 here.
We invite you share your thoughts using one of the following channels:
- Take part in the quick poll (to the right of this page) to tell is if you support the changes, or
- Share your comments with us in the feedback form below
Consultation closes Sunday 24 September.
This engagement has now closed, however you can still view all the information on this page. A final copy of the Significance and Engaement Policy will be shared in the Long Term Plan in July next year.
The Significance and Engagement Policy is being reviewed as part of the next Long Term Plan. Council’s operating environment has changed since the last review in 2018 and it needs to be refreshed to make it fit-for-purpose.
The economic situation has shifted, we have progressed our partnership with Mana Whenua and our communities expectation of engagement has changed. We want to make sure we meet these needs and expectations.
What is a Significance and Engagement Policy?
Hutt City Council is responsible for making decisions on behalf of Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt, and for engaging with the community on significant decisions. Under the Local Government Act 2002 all councils are required to have a policy that describes when we will engage, what is considered significant, and what our significant assets are.
What does council use this Policy for?
The role of the Significance and Engagement Policy is to set out council’s general approach to defining the significance of proposals and decisions in relation to issues, assets, and other matters.
The Policy has descriptions of different situations that are significant and require public engagement. These help to guide decision-makers to look at each situation and provide opportunities for the community to have their say and influence the decision.
We’ve summarised the main changes below:
- The ‘determining significance’ and ‘engagement’ sections of the policy have been reformatted to read as a table. This approach improves clarity and readability.
- The draft policy now contains a flowchart in the appendix showing a simplified way to determine the engagement approach according to the significance of the issue. This tool will help council officers with their decision-making.
- The draft policy now shares more details on engagement approaches with examples.
- Information has been added to the policy about the Special Consultative Procedure.
Our Significance and Engagement Policy in brief:
Contents
| What this means
|
|---|
Criteria that we use to assess potential decisions | Each piece of criteria is an important consideration that council uses to judge the significance of proposals and decisions. The amount of engagement depends on the significance of the matter.
The criteria are: - consistency with a prior decision
- recognition of Mana Whenua values and aspirations
- level of financial consequence
- transfer of ownership or control of strategic assets
- level of service provided by council and council's providers
- ability of a decision to be reversed
- level of public interest known to council
|
Table of examples for various levels of significant situations needing a decision | A table is used to illustrate how we would identify significant situations by giving examples for each piece of criteria. There are examples of situations for a low, moderate, or high degree of significance. This section helps decision-makers judge the significance of new proposals |
High-level decision-making flowchart | This flowchart gives a broad idea of how decision-making works at council. A high-level guide like this simplifies the concept of decision-making, while more detail can be found in other sections of the policy. |
List of our strategic assets | Strategic assets are owned and controlled by council. These assets affect the wellbeing and daily activities of everyone in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt. The assets are: - transport network
- wastewater and treatment network
- stormwater network
- water supply network
- landfills
- parks and reserves
- The Dowse Art Museum and Petone Settlers Museum collections
- Neighbourhood Hubs and library services
If council was to make a major decision that affected any of these assets' ownership or ability to operate, this would be a highly significant subject that would require community input. Small decisions, such as hiring a new staff member or acquiring equipment to operate, would not require community input. |
On the right of this page we have provided a Glossary to give an explanation of some of the technical terms used in the policy.
View a full copy of the Draft Significance and Engagement Policy 2024-2034 here.
View the current Significance and Engagement Policy 2021-2031 here.
We invite you share your thoughts using one of the following channels:
- Take part in the quick poll (to the right of this page) to tell is if you support the changes, or
- Share your comments with us in the feedback form below
Consultation closes Sunday 24 September.
