Council meeting now available online

A full recording of the Far North District Council’s first ordinary meeting held online can now be viewed at the FNDC website.

It is the first time the Council has conducted a meeting completely online – a move made necessary by COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions.

Under the restrictions, no physical meetings are permitted, effectively halting normal decision-making processes for local authorities across the country. To address the problem, the Government passed the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Act 2020 on 25 March allowing local authorities to hold virtual meetings instead.

Far North District Councillors are now meeting every two weeks to undertake urgent decisions required. Their first general meeting was held on 9 April using Microsoft Teams, a collaboration tool the Council was already rolling out across the organisation before the pandemic lockdown.

Mayor John Carter says all Council meetings held during Level 4 restrictions will be held online. Full recordings of the meetings – except those parts held in public exclusion – will be made available within three working days.

He says the next Council meeting on 23 April will also be held online, recorded and posted to the Council’s website. All Committee meetings have been cancelled for April and May.

Go to the Council website to view the meeting video.