Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Local Government Act 2002

Planning, decision-making, and accountability - Planning and decision-making - Consultation

83: Special consultative procedure

You could also call this:

“How your local government asks for your opinion on important matters”

When your local government needs to use a special way to ask for your opinion, they must do several things. They have to write a proposal and maybe a summary of it to help you understand. They need to make sure you can see the proposal and know how to share your thoughts about it.

Your local government will tell you how long you have to give your opinion, which will be at least one month. They must make the proposal or summary easy for everyone to find.

You’ll get a chance to speak to the local government about the proposal. This can be in person, using sign language, or even through a video call. They have to give you a fair chance to share your views and let you know when and how you can do this.

The local government can also ask for advice from their staff or other people about the proposal and what people think about it. This helps them make a good decision.

Remember, all of this is to make sure you have a say in what happens in your community. Your local government wants to hear from you!

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM172328.

Topics:
Government and voting > Local councils
Rights and equality > Anti-discrimination
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82A: Information requirements for consultation required under this Act, or

“What information you'll get when your local council asks for your opinion on new ideas”

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83AA: Summary of information, or

“Making a fair summary of plans to share with people”

Part 6 Planning, decision-making, and accountability
Planning and decision-making: Consultation

83Special consultative procedure

  1. Where this Act or any other enactment requires a local authority to use or adopt the special consultative procedure, that local authority must—

  2. prepare and adopt—
    1. a statement of proposal; and
      1. if the local authority considers on reasonable grounds that it is necessary to enable public understanding of the proposal, a summary of the information contained in the statement of proposal (which summary must comply with section 83AA); and
      2. ensure that the following is publicly available:
        1. the statement of proposal; and
          1. a description of how the local authority will provide persons interested in the proposal with an opportunity to present their views to the local authority in accordance with section 82(1)(d); and
            1. a statement of the period within which views on the proposal may be provided to the local authority (the period being not less than 1 month from the date the statement is issued); and
            2. make the summary of the information contained in the statement of proposal prepared in accordance with paragraph (a)(ii) (or the statement of proposal, if a summary is not prepared) as widely available as is reasonably practicable as a basis for consultation; and
              1. provide an opportunity for persons to present their views to the local authority in a manner that enables spoken (or New Zealand sign language) interaction between the person and the local authority, or any representatives to whom an appropriate delegation has been made in accordance with Schedule 7; and
                1. ensure that any person who wishes to present his or her views to the local authority or its representatives as described in paragraph (d)—
                  1. is given a reasonable opportunity to do so; and
                    1. is informed about how and when he or she may take up that opportunity.

                    2. For the purpose of, but without limiting, subsection (1)(d), a local authority may allow any person to present his or her views to the local authority by way of audio link or audiovisual link.

                    3. This section does not prevent a local authority from requesting or considering, before making a decision, comment or advice from an officer of the local authority or any other person in respect of the proposal or any views on the proposal, or both.

                    Notes
                    • Section 83: replaced, on , by section 25 of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2014 (2014 No 55).