Ways to have your say
There are lots of different ways for individuals, groups and organisations in the district to put forward their preferences and views about Council matters that affect them. Your choices include:
Any person or organisation can present a petition to the Council, a Council committee or the Methven Community Board. A petition can be about any topic that Council is responsible for.
Petitions are non-binding, i.e. Council is not legally bound to do what the petition is asking for. However, Council does consider each request made through a petition regardless of whether they need to act on it or not.
It is important to remember there is a specific format that you will need to follow when writing your petition which is outlined below. Petitions need to be sent directly to the Council's Chief Executive.
Petition format and content must:
- be in English or Te Reo Maori
- contain fewer than 50 words (not including signatories)
- include your request of Council - you may also include any reasons - these must both be on every page of your petition
- not be disrespectful, or use offensive language or include statements made with malice
- signatures must include the persons full name alongside their signature.
You have two options for submitting your petition:
- you may request a councillor or a Community Board member presents the petition to the Council, Committee or Community Board on your behalf; or
- you may present the petition in person at a Council meeting. You will be given five minutes to state the request of the petition.
To apply to present a petition please email info@adc.govt.nz or phone 307 7700.
Public Forums are held at the beginning of Council and Community Board meetings and are an opportunity for residents to present views about matters of Council business or that are of community interest. People are encouraged to keep presentations as brief as possible (a maximum of five minutes is allowed), to provide plenty of time for questions from Councillors or Community Board members.
Council also welcomes deputations – when a group or individuals presents their views on a matter of business on a Council or committee agenda.
Our Council carries out public referenda when a proposal or recommendation has a district-wide or local geographical community impact. A referendum is another way for residents to put forward their choice on whether or not they support that proposal or recommendation in which public opinion may be divided. When Council decides to hold a public referendum they will determine whether or not it will be binding, depending on the issue. To date, all those conducted by Council have been binding.