Public Forum is a specific section of the meeting allocated for public input. Public forums are designed to enable members of the community to bring matters to the attention of Council.

Requests must be made to the chief executive (or their delegate) at least one day before the meeting. To apply to attend or speak at a public forum, please fill out the form below. Your request needs to outline what you wish to speak about. Speakers can present for up to 5 minutes and no more than two speakers can speak on behalf of an organisation.

In accordance with Standing Orders, the Chairperson has the discretion to decline to hear a speaker or terminate a presentation at any time where:

- A speaker is repeating views presented by an earlier speaker at the same public forum;
- The speaker is criticising elected members and/or staff;
- The speaker is being repetitious, disrespectful or offensive;
- The speaker has previously spoken on the same issue;
- The matter is subject to legal proceedings; and
- The matter is subject to a hearing, including the hearing of submissions where the local authority or committee sits in a quasi-judicial capacity.

Please refer to the MPDC Standing Orders as adopted 9 November 2022 and / or the LGNZ Guide to Standing Orders for further information.

Following the public forum, no debate or decisions will be made at the meeting on issues raised during the forum unless they are related to items already on the agenda. With permission of the Chairperson, elected members may ask questions of speakers. Questions are to be confined to obtaining information or clarification on matters raised by a speaker. The speakers will not be permitted to ask questions of elected members during a public forum.

Meetings that do not have a public forum are still open to the public unless otherwise stated.