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Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987

Local authority meetings

45: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What words like 'meeting' and 'minutes' mean in the law about local government"

Illustration for Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987

When you are talking about local authority meetings, you need to know what some words mean. A meeting is when a local authority, like a council, gets together to discuss things. This can be a regular meeting or a special one.

If a local authority has a committee, a meeting can also be when the committee gets together. This includes subcommittees, which are smaller groups that help the committee. Minutes are the notes or records of what happens at a meeting.

But sometimes, a meeting can mean something different. For a board of inquiry, special tribunal, or freshwater hearings panel, a meeting only refers to a specific type of hearing, like one held under section 149L or section 206 of the Resource Management Act 1991.

For a water organisation, a meeting is when the board of the organisation gets together, but it does not include meetings of committees or subcommittees of the board, as defined in the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025.

You should also know that if a local authority or committee meets but does not make any decisions, it is not considered a meeting for the purposes of this law.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM123072.

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44D: Territorial authority, regional council, and water organisation protected against certain actions when providing information in good faith, or

"Councils and water organisations are protected if they honestly share information."

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45A: Application of this Part to certain local authorities, or

"Some local authorities, like boards of inquiry and special tribunals, follow special rules."

Part 7Local authority meetings

45Interpretation

  1. In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    meeting, in relation to a local authority, means, subject to subsection (2),—

    1. any annual, biennial, triennial, ordinary, or extraordinary meeting of a local authority; and
      1. any meeting of—if—
        1. any committee or standing committee or special committee or subcommittee of a local authority; and
          1. any meeting of any joint standing committee or joint special committee appointed by 2 or more local authorities, and any subcommittee of any such committee—
            1. any function, duty, or power is conferred or imposed on that committee or subcommittee by any enactment; or
              1. that committee or subcommittee is empowered to exercise or perform, on behalf of any local authority or any committee of any local authority, any function, duty, or power conferred or imposed on any local authority, or on any committee of any local authority, by or under any enactment or bylaw

              minutes, in relation to any meeting of any local authority, means any minutes or other record of the proceedings of any such meeting.

              1. Despite subsection (1), meeting, in relation to a local authority that is a board of inquiry, special tribunal, or freshwater hearings panel given authority to conduct hearings under section 149J or 202 or clause 58 of Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act 1991, is limited to any hearing that—

              2. the board or tribunal holds under section 149L or 206 of the Resource Management Act 1991; and
                1. the freshwater hearings panel holds under clause 39 of Schedule 1 of that Act.

                  1. Despite paragraph (b) of the definition of meeting in subsection (1), meeting, in relation to a water organisation within the meaning of the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025, means a meeting of the board of the organisation and does not include a meeting of a committee or subcommittee of the board.

                  2. For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that any meeting of a local authority or of any committee or subcommittee of a local authority, at which no resolutions or decisions are made is not a meeting for the purposes of this Part.

                  Notes
                  • Section 45(1) meeting: amended, on , by section 3(1) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Act 1991 (1991 No 54).
                  • Section 45(1) meeting paragraph (a): substituted, on , by section 262 of the Local Government Act 2002 (2002 No 84).
                  • Section 45(1A): replaced, on , by section 6 of the Resource Management (Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Repeal and Interim Fast-track Consenting) Act 2023 (2023 No 68).
                  • Section 45(1B): inserted, on , by section 172 of the Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025 (2025 No 43).
                  • Section 45(2): added, on , by section 3(2) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Act 1991 (1991 No 54).